Happy Gotcha Day, Jax!

One year ago, was the first day of the rest of Jax's life.  We broke him out of the county animal shelter and our lives haven't been the same since.

It's been a fun year.  I'll never forget when he busted down the screen door and ran through the woods to a neighbor's house who served him NY strip steak. 

Speaking of NY strip steak, I'll never forget the time he stole a raw steak off the kitchen counter and ate it...left the plastic bag, though.

And for his first Gotcha Day, I made our bundle of muscle and joy, salmon, mashed potatoes and chopped apples.  He loved it.

 Can't you tell he was having fun?!?!

Adventures in Dog Fostering

Since we returned from our trip to Italy, I got the itch to get a second dog.  As much as I wanted a companion for Jax, I thought about the permanency of adopting another dog.  Jax is already a handful and has tons of energy, because he's still young - about 3 years old.  I pictured one day trying to juggle two dogs and a newborn baby.  I think I would lose my mind.  And while some people surrender dogs when "it just isn't working out," I cannot bring myself to ever do that.

Then, I found the perfect solution.  We could foster dogs until such time as I pop a wee one out.  In addition to socializing (and tiring out) our dog, we could also help out some deserving dogs with a loving home until they find their forever homes. 

Meet our first foster: Cinnamon.  Of course, if I named her, she would be called Chelsea or CeeCee because she is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  We think her first family left her outside like a lawn ornament because she had mange.  Cinnamon couldn't be more appreciative of her humans for walking, feeding and petting her.  Plus she's made a great friend!  Her and Jax follow each other around and they compete over the same blue toy (even though we have 2 in the house, they always seem to want the same one).

Fostering doesn't come without its challenges.  Cinnamon likes to wake up at 5:30 am which wouldn't be so bad, if I wasn't used to waking up at 6:00.  That extra half hour is very valuable, especially since I gave up my morning cup of coffee this week.  Cinnamon also drools more than the average dog which means I have to wear shoes around my house otherwise I step in puddles of slobber. But in the grand scheme of things, she's worth it.

I don't know how long we'll have her, but it's been a pleasure so far.

Savings Lives, One Pit Bull at a Time

In September, much to my mother's dismay, my husband and I adopted a pit bull from our county animal shelter.  I think my mom imagined us having a more seemingly family-oriented dog. There's just one problem with that.  I am a strong believer in rescuing dogs, not purchasing them from breeders and the shelters aren't overflowing with pretty, golden retrievers or labs; they're filled with pit bulls. 

When we walked into the shelter, we said to each other that we were just looking and that we weren't taking the first sad, pathetic-looking dog that we saw.  We were going to wait until we found the perfect dog.  And then we came across this:

...and we named him Jax.  Sixty pounds of muscle, and he might just lick your face off.  Sure he has his faults.  For starters, he walks me.  He enjoys chewing on prohibited items like my husband's Phillies hat.  He's also a great escape artist.  Just the other week he nudged our sliding glass door open wide enough so he could knock down the screen door and ran about a mile into the woods next to our house.  Luckily we have great neighbors on the other side who called the phone number on his tag to let us know they were keeping him safe until we could pick him up. That being said, he is a cuddle bug, he's surprisingly gentle around kids and it's a good thing we have a home security system because he's more likely to hug an intruder than attack one.

So we understand what all the pit bull supporters have been saying: Blame the Owner, Not the Breed.  Trying to convince people of this is another thing.  One time while I was walking Jax, a neighbor asked me, "Does he eat people?"  Yes, ma'am.  That's why I walking him by the playground because children are more bite-sized than full-grown adults.  Even at our neighborhood's animal hospital, a vet tech asked if he was vicious.  I would expect a vet tech to understand the signs of aggression, like growling; not a wagging tail.  That was our one and only trip to that animal hospital. 

Knowing that Jax was not allowed at a certain doggie day care, it made me wonder how receptive a groomer would be to the idea of trimming his nails.  If the groomers were apprehensive, they didn't show it when we dropped him off.  Still, I was worried about how this would turn out considering that nail trimming can make the most even-tempered dog anxious.  When we picked up Jax, the groomer looked exhausted.  His first comment to us was, "Wow, that dog has a lot of energy."  Uh oh.  Did he bite someone or try to attack another dog?  No.  As it turns out, it took two employees to hold him down while a third trimmed his nails because he wouldn't stop trying to lick everyone.

So next time you come across a pit bull, remember that not all of them are dog-fighting killers, they may just save your life.

Bridal Shower Tea Party

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of hosting a bridal shower for my best friend of about 15 years.  We had roughly 40 guests over my house for a tea party-themed shower.  One of the bridesmaids made beautiful biscotti, cookies and cupcakes that were served with some of the food pictured below.

Triple Creme Brie with Raspberries and
and Camembert with Dried Cranberries

Smoked Salmon, Cucumber and Cream Cheese on Pumpernickel Bread and
Chicken Salad with Red Grapes on Mini-Croissants

 Tuna Salad on Arnold Wheat Sandwich Thins and
Egg Salad on Wheat Bread (crusts removed, of course)

Blueberry Scones and Chocolate Chip Scones
Served with Raspberry Jam, Strawberry Jam and Clotted Cream (not pictured)

Greek Pasta Salad (variation of recipe found here)

1 box tri-colored pasta, cooked
2 tsp each garlic powder, basil, oregano
1 1/2 tsp each black pepper, white sugar
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 C sliced green onions (I think red onions would also go well)
1 can sliced black olives (or green)
1 smallish C olive oil
1 smallish C red wine vinegar

1 container feta cheese

Mix all ingredients except feta cheese and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or overnight).  Add feta cheese just before serving.

Spinach Dip with French Baguette Slices

Also, a dried cranberry, candied walnut and goat cheese mixed-green salad served with the best raspberry walnut dressing.

Cupcakes, Assorted Chocolates with
Roses Arranged in Teacups and Saucers

Tissue Paper Puffs Hang From the Ceiling and

Lace and Lavender Table Cloths Cover the Tables