This and That...

 

     I hadn't shown you Zoe in a while...she is now officially the most spoiled dog ever. She is 20 months old. She can tell time (snack time 10:00 a.m. and dinner at 5:00 p.m.) and will certainly let you know if you are 10 minutes late. She is very good getting her weekly bath, but still tries to escape when she sees me bring in the towels. She talks...a little whimper cry and she is trying to tell you she wants out, needs water or has a biscuit stuck in her mouth! She also chews every shoe she can get near, gets in my purse and takes things out and will grab a towel off the kitchen counter and run with it. Nothing is really safe...I hope she eventually tires of that "game".

 

     We had two nests this year and this little one eventually ended up in the back yard for a few days. At first we thought she was injured, but she was just trying her wings. I love watching them go from egg to baby to out on their own.

 

     I hope that some of you had a nice holiday weekend. Illinois has turned into a rain forest this year. It rained every day of the weekend and is still rainy today. We had no time outdoors at all, no patio, no sitting near the fire pit...it didn't feel like a holiday weekend at all. We are having a garage sale next Saturday, so we did get things ready for that. Of course, it is supposed to rain all week and most of next weekend too, so that may be a really fun garage sale.

 

    For those of you of my generation that were fans of Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty has a new album out today that I bought immediately. He has taken many familiar songs and redone them as duets with friends and artists he admires. I already love it. Wrote a Song for Everyone, has Proud Mary with Jennifer Hudson, Fortunate Son with the Foo Fighters, Bad Moon Rising with the Zac Brown Band and so many more great pairings. This wasn't a requested review, just an album I knew I'd like and I do. I bought this one myself.

     A few weeks ago I won a prize from Jacqueline @ Purple Chocolate Home for my cheesecake recipe using Sara Lee Pound Cake. Jacqueline (who is a fabulous cook) honored me by making my recipe and putting it on her blog today. She changed it up by topping it with chocolate instead my usual fruit topping...either way, it is a killer cheesecake if I do say so myself. Stop by Purple Chocolate Home for the recipe.

 

     So, what is happening in your part of the world this week? I hope you have sunshine and are enjoying being outside!

    

 

Zoe was a very sick girl...

 

     That slow, organized week that I had hoped for...just hasn't happened yet. I wanted to share this information about our Zoe, because it was completely unexpected and could happen to any of you who own dogs.

 

     Zoe is now almost 19 months old. Late Monday afternoon we took her in for her yearly shots for Rabies, DHLPP and Bordetella. We brought her home and she was just fine. She ate her dinner, played with her toys and had her normal evening routine. We put her in her bed about 11:00 p.m. and I did notice that she was a bit restless, but we thought she was probably just sore from the injections.

 

     Our morning routine is that my husband brings her into me at 6:00 and she curls up on the throw next to me and we go back to sleep until 7 (well, she does). Yesterday, he brought her in and she slept a while then sat up quickly and started to throw up. I got her outside, my husband took over and she was sick a few more times even though she hadn't eaten anything. By the time I got out of the shower and came in the living room, she was completely covered with huge red spots...everywhere. We immediately called the vet and were told to bring her in. In the car we literally watched as her face was swelling. By the time we got to the vet, her face was so swollen it had that round, puppy look again and her eyes were just slits. I was seriously worried that her throat was going to close off and we would lose her. This was all happening at 7:30 yesterday morning, more than 14 hours after the shots.

 

     The vet gave her a steroid injection and Benadryl. He also kept her, saying they had to get this reversed quickly. We were told to call at 3 and see how she was doing. By the time I called, she was better and able to come home. Her face was normal, her spots were mostly gone except for those around her neck and other than being a bit slow and tired from the Benadryl, she seemed to be almost normal. She was very thirsty and steroid shots make them lose a bit of bladder control, but that will pass in a day or two.

 

     This was truly a frightening experience because it was all happening so quickly. It is possible for a dog's (or human's) windpipe to close from the swelling, so if this had happened while we were sleeping...the outcome could have been tragic. Our vet said that it is unusual for a dog to have a delayed reaction like this, but a friend told me it happened to her dog the day after shots as well...so, it happens. It obviously also happens to dogs who had no reaction in the past since Zoe had the same shots last year and did just fine.

 

     She is still a bit "off" today, but has had a dose of Benadryl and seems distressed to be "leaking" a bit as she is housebroken and you can tell she is confused about that part. I'm keeping her either on my lap or in her kennel to protect the house and just to baby her a bit. She doesn't mind the extra TLC at all!  There are things they can give a dog to prevent this from happening again and we will certainly be taking care next year to protect her. I thought it was worth sharing as so many blog readers are dog owners.

 

     We are waiting for a storm system to come through later today. They have mentioned everything from hail, tornados, lots of rain, snow and dangerous winds. I hate storms, I get really scared, so I'm on high alert!!

 

Red, Green and Zoe

 

     It has been a while since I've used good old red and green for Christmas and I'm really enjoying it this year. Maybe I was just in the mood for something more traditional, since nothing about my holiday or life is traditional anymore! Today, I'm sharing another one of my library tables. As you can see, Zoe slipped into the picture...but, I thought you might like to see how grown up she is. She is 20 pounds and shouldn't be any larger than she is now. She is less of a wild child than she used to be, housebroken and still likes to eat all things food and not food.

 

 

 

 

     The "tablecloth" is actually a tree skirt. I simply used the snowballs and basket to cover the hole in the middle.

 

     My little fox friend is sitting on the spool cabinet this year. Zoe spent the first day thinking it was a playmate for her, but she seems to have gotten bored with him now.

 

I am joining Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday.

Please stop in to say hello!

Oh Yes She Did!

Who me?

     You may have noticed that I haven't been around lately...well, SOMEONE decided to snack on my laptop power cord and chew it in half. So, I had a dead computer. Living in small town USA, I had to order in a new cord and it just arrived, so I'm back in business. I hope to spend some time this weekend catching up with all of you! 

I Just Can't....

Come on mom, relax!

     I just can't get it together right now! It seems around my house/life, we are either really boring or everything is happening at once. Well, this is one of those "all at once" times. I didn't mention in my post about the day that we put our much loved Nike to sleep that we got hit by a semi an hour later. It sounds worse than it was, but on our way to get "maybe I'll feel better ice cream" a truck took a turn too wide and hit us in my husband's car, and kept on going! Well, you don't mess with people who are already upset...we called 911 and followed him to get his plate number. He pulled into a truck stop before the police got there and jumped out yelling at my husband, "do you have a problem"? Well, long story short, he denied hitting us at first until the police pointed out the paint from his truck all over the car, and finally owned up to it and got a ticket. We found out yesterday that he lied about having insurance. It appears we may have to pay the repairs through our insurance and pay the deductible.

     Just a couple of nights later I got a call from my daughter. She had been on her way home on the busiest interstate in Orlando and her car died while driving. She said she panicked and tried to get it off the road, hitting the guard rail with the front of her car which spun it around and then the rear crashed into it. She ended up with a dead car, off the side of the road and facing traffic...in the dark. I nearly lost my mind until the police got to her. I was so afraid someone would hit her and there is nothing worse than having your child scared to death, 1000 miles away. She wasn't hurt, but her car was totaled. So, while texting us, she bought her first car alone Friday. We are just feeling so grateful that she is okay.

     Our new carpet is coming on Wednesday. So, instead of having a toilet in my bedroom like I did a couple of months ago when we did the bath redo...I have 3 beds/mattress sets in my dining room, plus all the rest of 3 bedrooms, the hallway and the living room shoved into the kitchen, garage, dining room and basement. We aren't quite done with all of the moving yet, our bed will be last. My husband has started taking up the old carpet. They may finish late Thursday. My dad gets here Thursday! I booked him a hotel room to be safe. If they have to come back on Friday to finish, it will be without us because we head to Chicago to my niece's wedding. So, when we get home we will have the entire house to put back together before my dad gets back here a few days later.

     So, between the car issues, the destruction of most of my house, company coming and trying to figure out what to pack to take to the wedding...I'm losing my mind. Did I mention I picked this week to put things on Ebay for the first time in years? What was I thinking? So, if I'm not around much for the next few days...you will know why. Of course I will have wedding photos and house photos after it all calms down!

I've Found My "Crafty Calling"! Giveaway Reminder!

     I've found it! The perfect DIY project for me. It is inexpensive, it only takes a few minutes, I couldn't possibly mess it up and the recipient loves it! Who could ask for more?

     It starts with soft fleece. I bought small remnants on sale at Walmart. It looks best if you use 3 different colors. These would not be my colors of choice, but it is what they had. My recipient isn't as picky about color as I am.

     Cut the fleece into 4" wide strips the length of the material. This requires a ruler and scissors. It doesn't have to be exact (love that). 

     Stack the fleece strips on top of each other and secure the end with a rubber band about 4 inches from the end. I actually did the first one this way, the others I made I just tied a very tight knot and then I didn't have to worry about cutting out the rubber band. Holding the rubber band end between your knees (or the knot), tightly braid the three strips of fleece until you get the length you want. Cut the ends off with a 4" tail and either add another rubber band or tie another tight knot. If you use the rubber bands, tie the knot now and clip out the rubber band. Cut the ends into 3 sections for "fringe"!

Handmade dog chew rope! Very soft and stretchy.

It is washable and Zoe found my project to be a huge success.  

Finally something I can actually do!

Don't forget to sign up for my Giveaway!

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The Rest of the Story and a Zoe Update

     I had several comments about the menu that was on my tablescape last week. I found it in with a box of vintage postcards. I decided to see if I could find out a little bit more about the ship. I was very excited to be able to find an actual picture of it.

     The R.M.S. Caronia was a British ocean liner, launched on July 13th, 1904. She was built for Cunard by John Brown & Co. of Glasgow. She left Liverpool on her maiden voyage to New York on February 25th, 1905. After a successful 1906 cruise from New York to the Mediterranean, the Caronia was used often in the following years. 

     The Caronia was briefly placed on Cunard's Boston service in 1914, but the start of World War I caused her to be requisitioned as an armed merchant cruiser. In 1916, she became a troopship and served in that role for the duration of the war, returning to the Liverpool-New York run after the war was over. In 1920, the Caronia was converted to burn oil instead of coal. She sailed on a number of different routes, including: New York/Boston from Liverpool; New York from London; New York from Hamburg; Quebec from Liverpool; and New York from Havana. 

     Her last voyage, from London to New York was on September 12th, 1932, after which she was sold to be disassembled. Initially sold to Hughes Bolckow for demolition at Blyth, she was resold, renamed Taiseiyo Maru and sailed to Osaka, where she was scrapped in 1933.

     I would love to know who owned the menu that I now have...but that may just remain a mystery.

     Some of you have asked about Zoe. She will be 5 months old in a few days. She is slightly taller than our old beagle. Her body type is entirely different than our past 2 beagles. She has long legs and a very lean body. This means that she can reach things off the coffee table, jump on all the furniture and jump high enough (think trampoline) to pull the throws off the back of the couch! She just lost her first baby tooth. We still have trouble when they are both loose at the same time. The older dog really instigates the problem but Zoe thinks she wants to play. She isn't completely housebroken yet, but she is making good progress and is certainly where we would expect her to be at this age.

     Having two dogs that don't get along has proven to be much more difficult that we anticipated, but we don't for one minute regret adding Zoe to our family. We just won't have 2 at the same time again. Our older beagle continues to hang in there as she nears 16. Her back legs seem to fail her at times for a few minutes, but she gets back up and keeps on going. Her goal in life right now is to get to every dog biscuit of Zoe's before Zoe can eat it!

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for

Tablescape Thursday since this post concerns last week's tablescape.

Please visit our hostess!

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizers & Zoe Update

What is this stuff?

     Our beagle baby Zoe is 4 months old today and she is growing so quickly you can almost watch it happen. She is a purebred beagle, but I keep asking my husband if they mixed her up at birth because she doesn't look like the other 2 beagles I've had. She has long legs and I'm sure she will grow into them, but at this point, her legs are growing faster than she is filling out. She still only has on and off. Sometimes, she is completely wild and running so fast we can't catch her, grabbing everything she can find along the way. She pulls throws off couches, laundry from the basket, rugs, boots and shoes and loves her toys! When she winds down, she snuggles into your neck and sleeps for as long as you will let her. She would love to spend no time in her kennel, but she is simply too playful and rough for our old beagle to deal with. They do have "conversations" around feeding time. Nike will do her low single bark and Zoe responds with her newly learned high-pitched beagle howl. It is funny to watch and stops after they get fed. We love her!

The sun feels good on old bones!

I'm much quieter than my sister!

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizer

     We love appetizers in our family. If you give us appetizers and desserts, we don't need a "regular meal". I'm always on the lookout for simple and delicicous appetizers. I found this one in an ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese and tweeked it a little. I took it to my sister's home for Thanksgiving at it was a hit. I also put some in the freezer and had them for light lunches.

Ingredients:

2 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used actual cheese, not the green can/powdery stuff)

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

pinch garlic powder

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts (not in oil) drained, chopped

6 T. chopped black olives

bag of plain mini bagels, split

Heat oven to 375 degrees

     Mix cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in large bowl.

Stir in chopped artichokes and olives.

     Spread mixture on bagel halves and place on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden and bubbly. Cool a few minutes and cut in half for appetizers. It will take a little longer to bake them if they are frozen. Leave them whole for a nice light lunch.

I forgot to take a picture of them after they

were cooked since we were at my sister's house. Sorry!

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Please visit our wonderful hostess!

 

Christmas Preview, Perfect Pumpkin Recipe and Zoe Update

     I didn't really have any pictures to show of my current tabletops. I actually took down all of the fall pumpkins and "orangey" things on Sunday. I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but as much as I love fall...I have a low tolerance for fall decorations. I enjoy them for a short period of time and I wanted some empty spaces before the holiday decorations go up. 

     This year is going to pose some interesting problems for us with decorating. Zoe is now 9 weeks old and everything is a chew toy to her. It dawned on me that we won't be able to have a tree that sits on the floor and certainly no presents within reach of those sharp puppy teeth. What to do, what to do? People say it is like having a new baby, it is worse. A baby this age stays where you put them! 

     I was lucky enough to find a silver tree at an auction. It looks like the old aluminum tree my grandmother had, but it isn't that old I'm sure. It isn't as tall of a tree as we are used to, so I think I can put it up on a table.

     I knew that I could go many directions using a silver tree and the ideas have been spinning in my head. Black and silver, gold and silver, deep purple? I'm showing you a few pictures of what I decided on. 

I won't decorate until after Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I can

make this pretty and "puppy safe" at the same time!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

The recipe for these perfect muffins isn't mine. When I saw them posted by Monica @ Lick the Bowl Good, I knew I had to make them. You can find the recipe here.

    

     I will confess that when I got to the part in Monica's recipe that said to shape the cream cheese filling into a roll and chill it for 2 hours, I thought...nope, want them now! So, hers are much more perfect looking than mine. I simple put a blob of the cream cheese on top of the first half of the batter in the cup and topped with more batter (see below).

     I actually forgot to take a picture of the inside of the muffin until about 2 days after I made them. They were much prettier fresh from the oven. The picture will give you an idea of how my filling isn't as perfectly centered as Monica's. However, they tasted fantastic. I will be making these again!

     Zoe is growing. She had her first puppy checkup and weighed 4 pounds. She has figured out what to do outside (although on occasion she still does it inside). She slept through the night last night with no accidents! This is a big deal! I do seem to work my day around her right now, but I expected that. We still can't get her to stop chasing Nike. Nike is interested in her, from a distance. She doesn't like to be crashed into and jumped on, so we are really hoping that eventually we will be able to have them both free in the house without watching every second.

I am joining Yvonne @ StoneGable for On the Menu Monday 

(a little late)

Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Please visit our hostesses!

Roastfish & Cornbread...Zoe Update

     Well, Zoe the pup has taken over our entire lives. She was 8 weeks old yesterday and she is sweet, lovable and exhausting. We don't seem to remember it quite this way from when our old Nike was this age, over 15 years ago. She goes out every 2 hours, which means I have been out in the rain more in the past week than I have been in the past 5 years. She is too little to "hold it" at night, so around 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., my husband is cleaning out the crate/kennel and walking around outside in his bathrobe. He is very much a person who requires/expects/demands his sleep, so he is looking at me like "why did I let you do this"! She chews on everything, so I'm picking up shoes, power cords and everything else that isn't glued down-all day long. She wants so badly for our old dog to play, that she chases her through the house, nipping at her ankles until she gets a warning snarl and then she does it all over again. If Nike could talk, she would be asking when this d*** puppy was going home.

     However, she snuggles up and sleeps in your lap for long periods of time. She looks at you with big, brown eyes that seem to say that she loves you more than anything in the world. She plays with her toys, rolling and jumping like a frog. She chases sunbeams (when we have them) on the carpet and she has certainly taken a home with 2 middle-aged boring people with a boring dog and turned us upside-down. We love her. We have no regrets at all, but we will certainly be glad when the accidents stop and she can sleep through the night!

     Now, on to other things...food! While vacationing on Hilton Head Island in October, we had wonderful southern food in a few very interesting places. Our first night, we went to a restaurant called Roastfish & Cornbread. It was the only restaurant that I had circled in the guidebook before leaving home and it was recommended to us by 2 different staff people at the hotel. 

      

     The restaurant isn't large, so I highly recommend going early. The mood was casual, funky and fun. Chef David Vincent Young has created a menu with so many wonderful choices, we didn't know what to do. He also has a delicious selection of vegetarian dishes which sounded wonderful. You can watch him stroll through the restaurant, keeping an eye on things. The staff was superb, the food was perfect.

     It was difficult to get interior pictures. You can see the artwork on the walls. You are looking at the back of a large church pew, which is the seating for a semi-private dining table.

We didn't have to wait for a table because we went early,

but when we left...people were waiting for tables.

     We started our meal with a delicious house salad. That is a yellow tomato, not an egg yolk on the plate. The house dressing was wonderful.

     I selected one of the evening's specials, Fried Softshell Crab (one of my favorites) with hushpuppies and a side of their special Sweet Potato Cornbread. The crab was cooked perfectly. The cornbread was interesting. It had the crumbly texture of cornbread, but tasted more like carrot cake.

     My husband loves Conch Fritters. He often orders them as an appetizer when we are in a southern state. This was the first time we have ever seen them served as a main dish. He said they were perfect, along with hushpuppies and fries. This was not a lowfat meal for us!

     I forgot to take a picture of our dessert. We shared a mini-tart. It was a Blueberry Key Lime Pie. I thought that it would be a tiny pie with blueberries on top, but actually they placed blueberries on the crust before pouring in the filling. So, each bite had blueberry in it as well as a few fresh berries on top with the whipped cream.

     This was a really interesting and fun place to visit and the food could not have been better. It would certainly be on my list to visit again when I'm back on Hilton Head.