Getting my just desserts

I MADE COOKIES! FROM SCRATCH!

I realize that to many of you that is not a statement that requires all caps or exclamation points. For me it is. I am not a cook...or a baker. I love food. Eating is probably one of my favorite things. But I am not a cook.

In my family, growing up, we did a lot of eating out. I became a conniseour of the mid-level chain restaurants. Applebees, Baker Square, TGI Fridays- I love them all. My mom cooked occasionally- sometimes actual cooking and sometimes something more like 'throw a Stouffers meal in the oven' cooking. I am told it runs in the family. My mom's sister is the same way. And it has moved down the line to me (...and my sister...and my cousins). Gosh, I love eating out. I do cook occasionally but eating out is just SO MUCH EASIER (thank god I have a metabollism that is on my side in this love affair).

So, for me to make cookies FROM SCRATCH is a big deal. ...I don't know if I have ever baked anything from scratch. My favorite 'homemade' dessert is bundt cake made from boxed devil's food cake and pre-packaged cream cheese frosting (seriously- this is what I ask my mom for on my birthday to this day).

But for some reason, I got out my grandma's recipe and decided I was going to make cookies. Oatmeal cookies to be more specific. The recipe was for oatmeal raisin cookies but I can only be so healthy (not that something involving a cup of butter is ever healthy) so instead of raisins I used chocolate and butterscotch chips. YUM!

So, last night I got out my recipe and my ingredients and I was ready to go.

Or, I would have been ready if I had any cinnamon. PREP FAIL. But I would not be deterred. Enter SUPER CHRIS to save the day! He stopped by Giant Eagle on his way home and procured the very neccesary cinnamon ---but not without quoting Strongbad (Strongbad:'I didn't know you had to shave.' Homestar Runner: 'I don't, it's cinnamon.') I digress... Moral of the story- Cinnamon purchased. On with the show.

Overall - it was really easy! I almost put in half as much butter as neccesary but double checked my measurements when the recipe said "blend until creamy" and the mess in my bowl looked like a granola bar before it gets formed. Crisis averted! I have to say- the raw cookie dough with the oatmeal didn't look especially appetizing.

But they baked up beautifully! I didn't even burn them.

Did I mention they taste amazing?? They totally do. If you are nice to me, I might give you some. I'm pretty proud and who knows, maybe I'll do it again soon!

Going to the dogs...part 2 (The foster dogs cometh)

Sorry for the delay on this... computer problems.

So... when we left off there was a family of 3- Sara, Chris and super beagle, Henry. Life with a puppy, like many things, got easier with practice. Henry adapted to our schedule and all was right with the world. We have friends with multiple dogs and would occasionally talk about getting a second dog. But by this time, Chris was starting law school at night and life was busy.

We stayed involved and interested in The Mutt Hutt and Secondhand Mutts from the beginning. Henry went to daycare occasionally and though there were NO plans to get a second dog, I would check the website regularly looking at all the dogs that needed homes. In July, we went to the Secondhand Mutts reunion and got to see all the adorable mutts looking for a new home. Somehow, using all our will, we were able to keep ourselves from taking one of those little angels home (that time).

Fast forward to Halloween and the Mutt Hutt's Muttsquerade. We all dressed up and, yes, I did put my dog in costume (I am THAT pet owner and I LIKE it)...

HENRY BATMAN! He would not tolerate the bat ears and the cape ended up dragging on the floor almost immediately after we got to the event but it was still pretty awesome! That night we met played with the dogs, socialized, drank a bit and met an adorable little mutt named, Mustard. Well, long story short, i have no self-control and he came home with me the next day. 2 dogs was not nearly as much of an adjustment as I had expected. I didn't have as much time to train as I had before but Mustard was so little that it didn't seem as neccesary as it had been with my hyper beagle. A week into fostering, I left Mustard & Henry with my parents overnight while I went out for Halloween. Mustard must have gotten really comfortable because he never left. A week later my mom adopted him, renaming him Paco (because if you are going to have a Mexican dog, you gotta give him a stereotypical Mexican name, right? hmmm...). My mom treats Paco like he is the little brother I never had. It really is strange for those of us who know that she never liked dogs, wanted a dog or cared for a dog in the past. But- things change!

Mustard/Paco was the first foster dog. Since then there has been Abraham Beagle Man, Handsome, Miss Hambone, Jenni Craig and currently- Rocket.

People always ask me how I can foster dogs and not want to keep them. Strangely, I have not had the urge (yet). Chris is rather attached to Rocket but I am trying to be the voice of reason...

1. 2 dogs are much harder to pass off on my parents when we go away for the weekend (which we do frequently). 2. A second dog will put a real damper on our fostering... and I really like being able to be transitional housing. I meet lots of dogs and touch lots of four legged lives.... and that makes me happy. :)

If you would like to know how you can make a difference in a dog's life, visit www.secondhandmutts.org or your local APL!

Going to the dogs... part 1

Since I was on a prolonged blogging hiatus when we got Henry, he has only been mentioned briefly in this blog. I'll start with his full story today and then move on to how our life has been taken over by fabulous four-legged friends...

Anyone who knew me growing up and lost touch would probably be shocked and amazed to find out I have a dog. I had a ...miscommunication... with a neighborhood golden retriever when I was 4 that shaped my doggie world view for years to come. Small dogs were managable but larger dogs scared the pudding out of me.

I honestly can't pinpoint when my fear started to subside. During college, my parents friends had 2 older dogs that were just too sweet to fear. Then my sister started dating Brian Phelps and I got to know his dog, Qili...

About this time (2 1/2 years ago), Chris and I started talking about the possibility of a dog and what breeds we like. Chris said he wanted an English Mastiff. I said not a chance in hell. It didn't matter very much though because we lived in a small apartment and both worked 2 jobs.

Fastforward to fall. I go back to working one job, we get engaged and we have a house. Oh how things change... but we agreed that it would be silly for us to get a dog before we get married. HA! We both started looking right away. I see lots of adorable dogs I would love to have. And then one cold January night, I was cruising petfinder and saw the sweetest little face. One you couldn't help but love. Chris thought he was cute too, not the mastiff he wanted, but an adorable beagle mix- big enough to avoid teasing for friends about having a purse dog and small enough for Sara's wishes.

Again we said it- we don't want to get a dog before we get married. Our wedding was 4 months away. This dog is a pipe dream (but such a cute one!). Not to mention the fact that neither Chris not I had ANY experience with dogs. But day after day, I would go online and look at this dog, Henry. He was a 7 month old beagle mix who had been found on the street with a broken leg. He was taken in by Project Noah, nursed back to health and put up for adoption through Secondhand Mutts (the rescue arm of The Mutt Hutt in Tremont). I looked and looked... and looked some more. I showed the site to friends and family. Finally, I gave in, emailing the rescue to see if it was an option to foster this handsome little man to make sure we could handle the responsibility. It was! Lots of emotions rushed through me. Joy. Rapture. Complete and total fear. Mostly the fear.

The day I took him home, Henry went in the house 3 times, chewed through 5 dollar store toys and started to steal my heart. Here is a picture from that first night (this rope toy made it 2 days)...

Things got better. We bought better toys (kong and nylabone are our best friends these days). The accidents became fewer and and farther between. I became totally obsessed with the show "it's me or the dog" and training books. But I still wasn't sure if this was something we could manage permenantly. Chris was still working 2 jobs so I was basically a single doggie foster mom. Not to mention that by this point it was February and the snow was 2 feet deep. Standing outside every 2 hrs waiting for a puppy to go to the bathroom was not really my idea of fun. We had to dig Henry a potty area in the backyard because the snow was up past his belly. Then 2 weeks in, we had to make a decision. Someone wanted to meet Henry. They were interested in adopting him. Still totally unsure, our answer was immediate- we want to keep him.

We've come a long way since then. I taught Henry to lay down, stay, come, dance and high-five. Some of my proudest accomplishements! Our families fell in love and have been the biggest help! To this day I wonder how Henry broke his leg and where he was the first 6 months of his life. If only my beagle could talk! Henry is part of the family now and we have an agreement that is never allowed to die. So glad we are on the same page about that. So, to finish off- here are a few pictures from the last year & a half in Henry Land. Next post - the foster dogs cometh!