Valentine dog treats

I followed through with my promise to Jeni and baked homemade doggie biscuits for my canine buddies as a Valentine's Day treat. The first few batches were enthusiastically approved by Emma, Bailey and Zoe.

I hope my many 4-legged friends will also enjoy my carefully prepared treats.



Super-easy recipe:

4 c flour (I used 2 cups white, 2 cups whole wheat flour)
3 c oatmeal
4 tbsp oil (I used canola oil and added a touch extra)
1 egg
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 c water
Bouillon cubes (I used 3 and boiled them in the 2 cups water in the microwave)

Mix ingredients. Directions I had did not call for any delay in cutting shapes in the dough. I, however, highly recommend chilling the dough for a bit before attempting cookie-cuttering :)

You will need flour for sprinkling on your "cookie-cutting" surface, as well as your rolling pin (if you're lucky enough to have one).
Bake for 1 hour at 300 degrees. After baking, remove to separate cookie sheet, wax paper, or foil. Allow to dry for at least 2 hours. Afterwards, store in ziploc bags.

Instant doggie delight is guaranteed - promised by Emma, Bailey and Zoe.

Happy Friday the 13th!

I'm not really superstitious about Friday the 13th, but I found some pretty interesting articles on-line. MSNBC posted some Spooky Sports Happenings that are a bit eerie.

I guess it's a good thing we played DOOK on Wednesday instead of today!

We'll have another Friday the 13th next month and then a third in November. We won't have three in one year again until 2012 (January, April, July).

For all of you Paraskevidekatriaphobics out there, I wish you a safe and incident-free Friday the 13th!

It's great to be a TAR HEEL!

The Dookies went down at home last night – what a glorious thing. Even more fun was seeing Coach “Ratface” K having a snit fit on the court. He really is an unattractive man who shouldn’t be seen screaming.

And WHY is the air conditioning in Cameron so useless? I know it’s unseasonably warm in NC right now, but those poor guys were drenched and there was more than one slip mishap due to sweat on the court. One would think that a school that charges more than $37,000 per year for tuition would have better facilities!

The game went back-and-forth with UNC up by quite a bit first, then the Dookies were up by eight at the half. (Nail-biting commenced). The lead flip-flopped a bit more, but then the Heels claimed the lead for good with more than five minutes left to play. Final score: Heels 101; Dook 87.

That’s FOUR straight wins for UNC at Cameron. If I didn’t have a needy elderly Elkhound at home I would've headed up to Franklin Street myself!

My favorite TV moment of the game was Ty Lawson scoring and getting fouled with about four minutes left to play. He was knocked over and the camera was right in his face as he yelled, “YEAH!” with a victorious look on his face. Go Ty!

Also, in true rivalry fashion, I can’t help but laugh my face off that all those Dookies slept in tents for over a month just to watch their team lose. Although I should mention that even as a Tar Heel, I find it ridiculous that students had to do that just to get a ticket – especially in light of the aforementioned tuition fees. Oh well, their fault for choosing to attend DOOK!

Congratulations Stump!

Last night Stump became the oldest dog ever to win "Best in Show" at the Westminster Dog Show. A gorgeous Sussex Spaniel and a true survivor - he almost died five years ago - Stump was a HUGE crowd favorite. I loved his little short legs and seemingly perma-grin. Photo below snatched from USA Today. Let's hope proper credit prevents me from being sued for copyright infringements.


The "ratta-tat-tat" of tiny paws on short doggy legs, clamoring to keep up, always makes me giggle. Zoe is really a lead-foot for a 7 1/2 pounder, but her footfalls still follow a sing-song clickety-clack on my hardwood and linoleum floors and the pavement outside.

I also loved Tiger Woods, the Scottish deerhound who won Westminster's hound group. He reminded me so much of Dante, the Irish wolfhound in Pam Houston's novel, "Sighthound," which is one of my favorite books. Seeing Tiger really tore at my heartstrings!

Sincere congrats to all the well-behaved pooches who earned accolades this year. I hope they are all either home or on their way home to enjoy loads of dog biscuits and well-deserved LOVE!

My big fat Greek spaghetti

I got this recipe from my friend Shelly who is a gluten-free girl, but regular noodles can be substituted of course. I made this Sunday night and it turned out pretty well even though I lacked the oregano, left out the onion and substituted black olives for the kalamatas. It was SO easy to prepare and made a very minimal mess of my kitchen.

Sorry, unlike some of my other friends who blog about food, I have no photos.

Prep time: 7 minutes; Cook time: 15 minutes. The following should make 4 servings with a good possibility of leftovers.

10 oz GF spaghetti
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp oregano, chopped
1 tsp garlic (I added a little more)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
8 kalamata olives, pitted, halved
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
4 tbsp lemon juice (I only used 3)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

Nutritional information per serving: 398 calories, 15 grams protein, 11 grams total fat, 5 grams fiber, 5 grams saturated fat, 62 grams carbs, 25 mgs cholesterol, 401 mgs sodium

In a large pot of boiling salted water, boil the noodles according to package directions. (I used spirals, really any kind of noodles will do although the recipe obviously calls for spaghetti). Drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, onion, olives, half of the parsley, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes or until heated.

Add noodles and most of the cheese to the skillet; toss gently to combine. Remove skillet from heat.

Top with remaining cheese and parsley.

Shelly served this with broiled eggplant which was quite tasty! I made it and divided it up into batches for work lunches - no side dish included.

Quote of the day

This quote was on a New Year's card I recently received in the mail, and I love it! Thanks Kevin & Jen.

"Beer will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no beer."

-Maureen Ogle

Dog face and darn cute

While I'm aware that she's truly no angel, this face is one of the sweetest I know. (And as I typed that I laughed out loud at her sailing over the gate that now keeps Bailey almost constantly in the kitchen).



SUPERB yawn - such yawns and butt-in-the-air stretches are hourly occurrences here.



My TRUE best friend pictured below, with power-tongue in motion. Bailey rocks. He's a bit more high-maintenance in his old age but still the king of the castle. Long live the King!

Wahoo Reunion

Scotty D flew into town on Saturday for a layover, so Kerry and I made plans to meet up with him in downtown Raleigh for dinner. Neither of us had seen Scott in more than a decade, but WSY bonds are hard to break! I mean really, if you spent hours of almost every day of your childhood swimming back and forth, staring at a black lane line, how could you not forge friendships with the others trapped with you in misery? (Mark we missed you!)

My evening began with Sydney's bathtime, pictured below. She's still a little chub rock, but always damn cute.



The WSY trio enjoyed dinner at Irregardless Cafe (one of my favorites from my days as a Raleigh resident), and I'm pretty sure we closed the place down.

I had every intention of having our waiter take our photo, but a credit card snafu and a stealthy extra-drink-sneak by Scott derailed my carefully laid plans. Therefore, we have the self-portraits below, taken in the circle drive of the Sheraton.


I never would've posted the below photo (as I look surprised, crazy, or let's just say unattractive) but I thought it was a great photo of Scott and Kerry.



Kerry and I LOVED seeing Scott, and we're expecting another visit in LESS than 10 years! Scott: Happy wedding day to you and Jennifer! Have a fabulous honeymoon and be sure to tell her we can't wait to meet her!

Calling for advice from all homeowners!

I am very quickly approaching the end of my 5-year ARM, so the task of refinancing my home is at hand, and I am not looking forward to it at all. I'm hoping that someone (or more hopefully many people) are going to tell me that it is not as daunting as I anticipate.

In all honesty I am in complete shock that 5 years have passed. I have lived at my current address longer than anywhere else (by more than 3 years) other than my childhood home.

Between the years of 1992 and 2004, my address changed fifteen times.

Any tips for refinancing would be greatly appreciated. My parents have been on me for months now and I'm finally almost ready to take the plunge. I'm considering waiting until after I determine my 2008 tax refund, but I'm willing to bet my parents will make me crazy before then if I don't make a move soon.

Eagerly awaiting immense wisdom!

What is wrong with people today?

A small-town Kansas mayor shot two dogs dead with a rifle on Sunday, February 1st.

While Mayor Don Call gives "reasons" for his actions, I remain mortified. I'm sure there are several stories posted online, but the following link leads to MSNBC's account of the story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29021290/.

Call said the dogs were loose and chasing children, but Sheriff Sandy Horton said his department wasn't told the dogs were chasing children. He said the mayor should have contacted authorities before taking matters into his own hands.

Indeed. But I feel there is another point to make. Let's say the dogs were loose AND actually "chasing" children. In all honesty, that is the owner's fault. But that still doesn't justify shooting the owner OR the dogs.

I own two dogs and one of them is a bit of a risk (she bites), so I am constantly on alert. She was abused before I adopted her so she's hesitant to trust anyone - although I honestly think she's loved me since the day we met.

She's a tiny girl (7.5 lbs), and I've worked quite hard to train her to suppress her fight-or-flight response to stimuli. She's made tremendous progress since I adopted her in November 2005.

I guess my point is that all dogs deserve a chance. I know some can't be rehabilitated or saved, but gunning two animals down with no clear defensible motive is abhorrent.

I remember my landlord at what I've always referred to as "Satan's Lair," threatening one of my dog sitters and myself. He told me he was going to "run over my dogs with his tractor," if they ever barked at him again. Mind you, the barking was done from inside a fenced yard.

I was smart enough to vacate that hell hole without delay, but I hate to imagine what could've happened to Jax or Bailey if I'd been foolish enough to stick around.

I say give this Call asshole the maximum punishment allowed. When I hear stories like this, I wish the perpetrators could be punished by truly appropriate means - meaning that I'd stick him in a pit of ferocious dogs who might rip him to bits.

Quote of the day

"The time is always right to do what is right."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Madness: a book review (with notes on Wasted)

I became a fan of Marya Hornbacher when I read her Pulitzer-prize nominated book, "Wasted." The book follows Marya through her struggle with both anorexia and bulimia, which began for her at the tender age of nine. When I bought the book in 1998, I was still a bit of a slave to my own anorexic tendencies. I hadn't yet banished my demons, much less the voices of some of my more cruel sorority sisters who took pleasure in mocking me. (I would like to say those jabs didn't faze me, but those girls were mean).

Nevertheless, to those who insist that "Wasted" reads like a "how-to" book for anorexics; or that it contains profoundly inappropriate scenarios; I say P-SHAW!

I found comfort in Marya's stark depiction of herself as a young girl in the throws of an addictive DISEASE. Having lived through an eating disorder that lasted the better part of six years, I feel qualified to suggest that "Wasted" is a powerfully realistic memoir and nothing more.

But "Madness" tells the story of a very late second chapter in Marya's life. It details the events that led up to her diagnosis of Type I, rapid-cycle bipolar disorder, as well as the events and behavior that accelerated her descent into madness. Sadly, bipolar diagnoses were not widely accepted when Marya was a child, so her path to recovery didn't even begin until she was twenty four years old, and even then she had a very long way to go.

Her behavior as a child (as told by her own account) was so bizarre that I kept finding myself yelling aloud, "HOW could they not know something was VERY wrong with her?" The below is a short caption depicting her manic behavior at age FOUR (this doesn't even mention her obsession with chanting "I don't care says Pierre!")

"The goatman," I whisper, agitated. "He's in my room. He came while I was sleeping. You have to make him leave. I can't sleep. Will you read to me?" I hop about, crashing into the nightstand. "Can we make a cake? I want to make a cake, I can't go to school tomorrow, I'm scared of Teacher Jackie, she yells at us, she doesn't like me, Mom, the goatman, do you have to go to work tomorrow? Will you read to me?"

"Madness" also hit home because my ex-boyfriend, who I dated off and on for six years, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a couple of years before we finally broke up.

While reading some of Marya's "play-by-play" descriptions of her episodes, I became sick to my stomach. Denial is a powerful thing. See below thoughts of Marya, recorded just minutes after she received her official diagnosis:

"Biploar? Kind of an overstatement, but whatever. Just another name from yet another shrink...It's not like I'm sick. I'll take the meds...Back to normal in a jiffy, back to my usual good mood. And surely no one needs to know; why focus more on what a fuckup I am? They'll take it wrong and make a fuss. This is really no big deal. I'll be good as new...I'm immensely pleased with myself for changing my thoughts in this so-healthy-way."

Sadly, I can say I had MANY conversations with myself that were remarkably similar (okay, nearly identical) to the aforementioned snippet from "Madness."

Thankfully, I am now almost completely comfortable in my own skin. And yes, reading books like "Wasted" and "Madness" helped me tremendously. I adamantly believe that anyone who truly feels these memoirs are harmful is a misinformed blockhead. I shouldn't be surprised though, even my own father expected me to "just snap out of it." If it had only been that easy.

I'd recommend these books to anyone. But especially if your life has been touched by any type of mental disorder, "Wasted" and "Madness" are top-notch, truly autobiographical, informative works of literature.

The Tar Heels are on fire!

Let's hope this post doesn't jinx the Heels, but I can't help but give them a good and loud shout out for tearing it up in recent games. Perhaps I should've titled the post, "Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington are on FIRE!"

The Heels most recently defeated Maryland last night, 108-91, the Heels' first victory over the Terrapins since 2006. (And I should mention that Gary Williams is my second favorite coach in all of college basketball, but I still have no problem with the Heels beating his team!) Ellington scored a total of 34 points - seven of those points scored in less than one minute, and 21 of them via three-pointers. He also managed nine rebounds. Yowza!

While the Florida State game might not have been one of Ellington's best, he still scored 14 points and had two rebounds and one assist. On January 31st he scored 14 points against NC State, with six rebounds and two assists. Not too shabby.

Now on to Ty Lawson. He's only 5'11, but he's one of the "biggest" players in college ball right now. His game-winning three-point shot against Florida State has been replayed over and over since the January 28th matchup.

My sport was swimming, so shots like Lawson's last second save remind me of Jason Lezak's phenomenal anchor leg of the 2008 US Men's gold-medal winning 4x100 freestyle relay at the Beijing Olympics. Unforgettable. I must've watched that race at least 25 times.

Against Florida State, Lawson led the Heels in scoring with 21 points total. He also scored 16 against the Wolfpack and 21 against Maryland. He scored three three-pointers in the first half against Maryland, which put UNC ahead by at least 10 for the rest of the game. Thank you Ty for keeping this one out of the nail-biter zone!

I by no means intend to forsake the talents of Tyler Hansbrough or Danny Green, I just can't help but want to shine the light on Lawson and Ellington for now.

Next game: Saturday, February 7th at 4 p.m. vs. Virginia at home. GO HEELS!

The Little Pleasures

Our new office building is a couple short miles from a Starbucks and two of my favorite restaurants. But the best part of this proximity (and thus the frequency with which I make the journey there), is the unavoidable railroad crossing that has the most perfectly placed bump, which sends me pleasantly airborne when I hit it at just the right speed. In fact, I get quite testy when there is a law-abiding citizen in front of me who prevents me from sailing over my "ramp" of sorts.

Yes, there is a sign that states a speed limit of 10 mph, but that just isn't any fun. The wonderful in-car flight experienced while passing over my favorite railroad crossing reminds me a great deal of a certain bump in Falmouth Drive (a road in my parents' neighborhood, where I grew up).

The Falmouth "bump" became a delight to all of my friends who ever rode in my car with me. With carefully timed acceleration, your stomach almost dropped. Granted, one could only speed so much, as a stop sign is located straight away after the bump, but we had good fun.

While my delight at such a trivial thing likely seems ridiculous to most, I don't care. That little jump a few times a week is an absolutely fabulous guiltless pleasure that I won't soon give up.

Go Tar Heels, Beat State!

Went to Kerry's on Saturday afternoon to watch the Tar Heels beat the Wolfpack. I was ecstatic that my entrance was greeted by a lovely smile from Sydney.

The kids watched the game, too, and I even had Felton yelling, "Go Tar Heels, Beat State!" FABULOUS, especially in light of our victory.

Sydney is walking completely on her own now. Although she'll occasionally crawl if it's easier to do so, she seems happier on her feet.

But she especially loves to knock down block towers made just for that purpose. Trust me, it takes a great deal of skill to construct a block tower quickly enough for Sydney (quickly enough before she knocks it down). As seen to the left, she's delighted to have tumbled over another stack.

Both Felton and Sydney are excited about the impending block-tumble below.



Sydney walking...



Sydney watching the Heels up close - that's my girl!



I thoroughly enjoyed playing "throw the stability ball up and down the stairs" with Felton, too. He is the coolest kid, and when we're in the "play zone" I couldn't be happier. He has an adorable laugh, the sweetest cheeks, and I love that I make him smile!