Love Me Some Coffee in a Pretty Mug #VDAYMUGSWAP

Happy Valentine's Day Y'all!!


I had the priviledge of joining Caroline and Alissa in the 2nd annual Valentine Swap and this year was as much fun as last year.  This years theme was a mug swap.  Each participate was paired with another blogger or instagrammer to swap Valentine goodies.  We were encouraged to send along a lovely mug and could also include whatever favorite drink and goodies.

My mug swap partner is the lovely Libbi from Life is Funner. She blogs about her life and does book reviews, so if you are ever in need of a book recommendation, hit up her blog :)  She sent me a box full of yummies and goodies and I have a funny story to share about the whole thing too.

Let's just say, my dog is lucky to still be alive.....

Our goal, set by Alissa and Caroline was to get our boxes sent out by Friday, Feb 1 in order for the USPS to do its job and that we would have enough time to blog, instagram and social media the entire event.  My box was delayed, but I did receive Libbi's box on the 1st and challenged myself not to open the box until mine was on its way to Colorado.  Sadly, the box was not on a very high shelf and was in my studio on my cutting table and the dog decided it smelled too yummy to not drag the box into his crate and rip it to shreds.

As you can see, all the very, yummy, homemade items were completely devoured by the dog.  To say I was sad is an understatement.  The dog was placed on permanent outside status for the remainder of the day until the husband came home to rescue him.

I managed to save the rest and put them up high and away in the kitchen where they actually belong.  Libbi sent me a beautiful green mug (love the dots!!), some yummy dark chocolate and sour patch candy, a package of Cookie Doodle coffee and a variety of teas.  There is also a beautifully packaged jar of Russian tea, which I have not had in a very long time.

So despite my sad state of the package and the loss of the homemade goodies, I'm thrilled with my mug swap.  Thank you Libbi!!

Linking up with Alissa & Caroline for the #VDAYMUGSWAP

Dog smell be gone

I just happened to see this on the bottom shelf at Target the other day and thought for $1.94, it was worth trying. I'm SOLD! It works great, gets rid of the dog smell and leaves my house smelling nice, not sickeningly sweet or obnoxious.

Disclaimer- this is my total and complete opinion. Arm and Hammer and Target have absolutely no clue who I am or that I exist.

Our newest member

A few weeks ago we added a new member to the family. Lucky for me, I didn't have to go through any weight gain, hips hurting and labor again. Nope, this time we went the adoption route and welcomed an almost 2 year old black lab into our family.

Oreo was adopted from another couple who had decided their 15 hour days were not kind to him being stuck at home alone and wanted a family to take care of him. My oldest son was completely ecstatic about getting a dog while the youngest was on the opposite end of the spectrum and freaked out by the dog. Fast forward a couple of weeks and the oldest doesn't like Oreo anymore while the youngest is in love. Go figure. 

 For me it's like having a 4th child. Mom is the one who wakes up in the morning and walks him, plays ball with him during the day and of course sweeps up all the black dog hair that floats around my house now. (sigh) The boys do feed him for which I am thankful. Oreo is a sweet dog but needs some training so the hubby signed up for obedience school. It's more like training the whole family, but overall, another adventure to go through together.

Day 250

A Rare Picture of Charlie

Day 64

Our sweet beagle, Charlie has his own pad in our bedroom and likes to rearrange the placement of his bed on a nightly basis. Tonight, I found Charlie behind the door, snuggled in Mike's closet. It is definitely the most creative place he has attempted to sleep.