Bridal Shower II

This past weekend, my mom and I hosted a bridal shower for my cousin.  I am an only child so my cousin is like a little sister to me.  Her and my aunt threw my surprise bridal shower about three years ago so it was an honor to return the favor. 

My first post on this blog was about the bridal shower I threw for my best friend.  I learned how to make things more efficient and easier on myself.  Instead of making egg salad and tuna salad, I made more chicken salad (add lemon juice to the recipe) and smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches. 

 

 

I made a Greek salad, couscous salad and antipasto/caprese kabobs.

 

...and bought brie from Sam's Club

My OCD therapy was wrapping plastic ware in napkins and making centerpieces from mason jars.

 

 

Recipe cards were sent with the invitations and were asked to bring back a recipe to be collected in a box for the bride.  In return, guests left with tea bags and rock candy pops.

 

My aunt made the cakes.  Aren't they beautiful?

A Year of Fostering

It's almost been a year since we started fostering dogs.  We've had a lot of laughs, some tears and learned a lot from our fosters.  They have made our lives richer and we're better people because of them.  Thank you, Cinnamon, Tillie, Kima, Abbey, Josie and Amelia.

What a Difference Food Makes

Our latest foster won the adoption lottery three times.  The first time, she was 6 months old.  Then, for an unknown reason, six months later, she ended back up at the same shelter 20 pounds underweight.  If she wasn't adopted or pulled into rescue, she may have died never knowing someone loved her.  

At first, I saved my judgment of the people who let her get so skinny thinking maybe there was a medical reason why she couldn't gain weight.  But there wasn't any reason other than they didn't feed her.  Amelia has a good appetite and her blood work came back fine. 

Putting healthy weight on a dog takes patience.  For a month, I came home on my lunch break so she could be fed 3 times a day.  The vet recommended adding water and wet food to her food for every meal so she got plenty of water.  Amelia got daily exercise to make sure she kept nice muscle tone.  

Now, the dog who was once emaciated and sad that her family abandoned her, is building confidence and trust in people with a smile on her face.

One day, Amelia will find her forever family and we will be happy to see her go home with her new family but it won't be without a tear.

Warm Weather, Part II - Bucket List Accomplished

Our second stop: New York City

In all our years together, John and I have never been to NYC together.  We've gone separately for work or pleasure, but always with co-workers or friends.  It was nice to spend some time together in what is arguably one of the best cities in the world.

The first night, we went to see Breakfast at Tiffany's on Broadway, starring John's celebrity crush, Emilia Clarke (better known as the dragon lady, Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones).  We managed seats 3 rows from the stage so John could be up close and personal for the nude scene, but he got more than he bargained for...the male lead was also nude.  Oops.

We stayed at Club Quarters which is located across the street from Rockefeller Center.  It's not the Ritz, but the location is great!  When you walk out of the hotel, Radio City Music Hall is on the right.

While in NYC, I got to cross something off my bucket list: eat at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn.  If you don't know about it, you should.  It's been featured on the Travel Channel and Food Network and serves one of the best steaks in the world.  It has a limited menu (hint: try the steak), but the bacon appetizer and hot fudge sundae make for a well-rounded meal.

We tried to see the 9-11 Memorial, but it was so crowded and blocked off from public view, that we decided the memorial would be available for years to come and to go shopping at Century 21 instead.  Surprisingly, John bought more clothes than I did.

Sunday included a nice walk through Central Park and lunch at Carnegie Deli (hot pastrami sandwich).

My only gripe is they stole the LOVE sign from Philadelphia!  Ok, not really.  But the LOVE sign is so synonymous with Philadelphia that I was a little hurt to see it placed so unceremoniously on a sidewalk in NYC.

Warm Weater = Sightseeing

Now that spring has finally sprung, we spent the last few weekends getting out and about.

First Stop: Washington, D.C.

Every year, we talk about going to DC to see the cherry blossoms.  We made it, but we were too early to hit the peak of cherry blossom season.  We stumbled across a garden that had bloomed, but the trees near the Jefferson Memorial were still bare.  It wasn't a wasted trip though, because we got to see some of the memorials.

The Washington Monument getting repaired after the earthquake.

Don't let this picture fool you.  This was found in the secret garden.

The trees around the Jefferson Memorial looked more like this.

...but the memorials in stone will always be there all year round. 

Josie

Josie hates cats.  More than that, she hates cats she can't find "in" the tv.

Lucky Foster #5: Josie

I don’t know if I’ve already warned about this, but fostering is addicting. We always try to take a break in between fosters, but I’m a big softie and can’t stay away too long. Today, we welcomed foster #5 to our home: Josie.

Josie has been a Jasmine’s House dog since this summer. I’m can’t believe no one has snatched her up. When we were fostering Kima, I always considered Josie to be a bit of a Jasmine’s House superstar, so when we were asked if we would foster her, I jumped at the chance. I mean, who can resist those ears?!

Josie walks well on a leash, listens to us and had no problem fitting in what is now at least, her 5th home! Her only “fault”? She does not love cats. But you know what? Neither do I so I’m ok with that.