THE MONSTER & Diego

They play like crazy, chasing each other around the yard, stealing each other's bones. You know, the usual dog stuff.
Aren't they goons? The MONSTER with his tongue hanging out... he rarely takes a nice picture around other dogs these days. He just lurves them too much!
But Diego is also for adoption. He has so much energy, loves to chew on bully sticks and when he's finally done playing, he'll crash in your lap or next to the MONSTER for a long time! So, if you're interested in Diego, please click here for more information.
So, here's Diego! Diego says, "Adopt me! I want a lap to sit on every morning! And I like watching Flash Forward and Grey's Anatomy! Or ESPN or Sportscenter!"

Happy Friday!

I've Been Bad

A bad, bad blogger...

Never fear! I shall post later today of the foster puppy Diego (I call him Taco) and the dressers we finally got! (Um, there's no picture of Diego because um, we've been, um, busy.)

And maybe spaghetti and meatballs. Or um, broccoli with penne?

See, I have stuff to post... I just haven't had time to do it!

Living Room Inspirations

I need a living room.

Eh, er, um, I mean, I have one already but I have no furniture. And no money to buy furniture but a girl can dream? Right? If I had an unlimited furniture budget, I'd go crazy. Room & Board, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Ethan Allen, West Elm. Have you noticed a trend? These stores all have two words to their names... I don't think that really means anything though.

I need something to inspire me for when we actually do have money. So far this is what I've found. I like green. I like earth tones. I like neutral because you can accessorize. And other than that, I have no preference. Kind of. Modern, yes. Antique, yes.

See? It's hard! I hate decorating and I know that I have style. It's just the budget that's the problem, right? I think that's fairly, um, common...


Urban Outfitters Lulu Chair Chartreuse Garden $425

Anthropologie Decker Console Table $598



Restoration Hardware Roth Ottoman SALE $759.99 - $1,339.99

Delaney Upholstered Sofa SALE $2045 - $2179.99

Sigh. A girl can dream.

I Need a Haircut

I've kind of bobbled between short curly hair like this (yes, my hair is curly, see the example from Bimmer Man's graduation) to long and always in a ponytail. If I lose a ponytail holder, I kind of flip because my hair just doesn't stay straight, instead it has a mind of its own.
And flys away. Sometimes I look like I stuck my hand on one of those static balls. Only that's what I look like all the time. When I'm not touching a static ball.
So for the most part, I guess I'm doing the plunge again tomorrow.
And I can't wait. BECAUSE THE MOST FABULOUS STYLIST WILL BE DOING IT. She was the maid of honor in my wedding. Oh, yeah. I'm lucky.
So this time I'm totally going short. I don't want to be attached to ponytail holders anymore. I'm done with that.

Happy Friday! Have a fantastic weekend!

Go Gophers!

The Office

Um, my office at home, not the show.

But did you see Pam & Jim's wedding? Can you believe who slept with Pam's mom? Yeah, I know. My wedding was crazy but not that crazy. And yes, I am from Minnesota and my wedding was in Minnesota, but no, no one danced down the aisle.

Bimmer Man wants a large desk. A corner desk. Like this:

West Elm Bond Desks + Wedge Unit $699

We do need filing cabinets though, and I'm just not sure if a small thing will fit our needs. Actually I know that the small cabinet will most definitely NOT fit our needs.

So, love the desk... but what to do for storage??? Ugh, I have no idea. Any ideas?

(Bimmer Man, do not comment and say that you want one of those tall, ugly filing cabinets. You will get a filing cabinet but it will NOT be ugly. P.S. I love you.)

Ah, government, if you're listening, could you please send our credit already? Thanks. We'd really appreciate it.

The Chipmunk Chaser

Here's the MONSTER, chasing chipmunks into our gutters. Go figure, right? The Retriever/Setter mix chasing chipmunks... Actually, in this picture he's pointing like a setter does, the nose directly at the noise, the tail straight out... You should see him at the dog park. He's crazy. And I have to remember to bring dog poop bags next time too.

Eh, anyway... Happy Thursday!

And watch Flash Forward tonight, then come back and discuss if you think some people's flash forward's are wrong... And what about crows? I almost hit a crow this morning on my way to work. And what about the doctor that almost killed himselft? Why aren't they showing him more?

Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce

Penne is my new favorite type of pasta. And bell peppers have always been one of my favorite veggies. So I decided to toss them all together.

Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce

1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped into bite size pieces
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp oregano (eh, dried or fresh, I don't care)
1 tsp basil (go for more if it's fresh and don't add until the end if it is fresh)
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
Salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to top

Put a large pot to boil for the penne. Cook penne until al dente.

Saute the onion until soft in a large saute pan. Then add the pepper, both cans of tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Add the salt & pepper.

Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. Doesn't matter too much, just as long as all the flavors melt together.

Add about 1/3 cup water to the pasta sauce BEFORE you drain the penne.

Then, add the penne once drained to the pot with the sauce.

Top with parmesan cheese and serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Yum!

Pumpkin Bread

It's that time of year. The magical pumpkin time of year when all of a sudden Libby's brand starts leaving it off the shelf in random areas of the country. Well, never fear. I have 6 cans of pumpkin and I have no idea what to do with them.

Pumpkin bread is only the start. Maybe pancakes? Cheesecake? Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting? (Er, um, I don't really work in a place with more than 2 people, so if you volunteer yourself, I may make pumpkin muffins and send them to you. Or, if you live in Minneapolis, I will drop them off at your work. Seriously. I'll make you a cake.)
I love the smell of spices too. Yum. They just make it seem like fall!
Here's the secret ingredient. Seriously. Use it.
And the color of pumpkin is amazing!
And then it tastes like Heaven with just a little butter. Er, um, margarine in my case. Shed's Spread Country Crock with Calcium. In any case there's several different recipes for pumpkin bread. I loved the spices of this one so I had to try it!

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

from Allrecipes.com

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy!!!

National Novel Writing Month

Is in November.

So ah, who wants to write a novel??? Em, this challenge isn't about quality, it's about quantity. 50,000 words. In 30 days. Eek.

Can you do it? Have you ever written a novel?? Do you think blogs count for something? Has anyone seen the Julie/Julia movie yet?

Er, um... I think I'm already trying to change the topic!

Thursday Is For Sharing

Ok, so I kinda remember kindergarten and we each had our "share" day. I am going to admit a very embarrassing thing.

I actually brought in a Trapper Keeper to share.

But not today.

I'm going to share with you some fun links to get you through your day.

1. Regretsy. I think that's enough said. Just be prepared for artists that make graphic things for young children and goats.

2. Lonny Mag. I particularly miss Domino and Cottage Living. And now Gourmet is going under too. Magazines are totally going down the crapper in this economy, but luckily there's still some bold people out there to put their mags online. Not everything is budget friendly, but it's all pretty inspiring!

3. My newsletter from Take Action. It's my online social responsibility reminder. When we moved into our new house, two neighbors made cookies for us. I think I shall bake them all pumpkin bread before it snows this weekend (ah, yes... we're now in Minnesota where it snows in October...).

Ok, enough linky links.

I think that these by far surpass the Trapper Keeper (mine had a wonderful Hawaiian floral print with a palm tree). And I hope that your day goes by fast!

Happy Thursday!

I've Been Tagged!

So I've been tagged by Nicole and this is a photo meme. So here's the rules:

1. Go to the first photo album on your computer
2. Go to the 10th picture
3. Post the picture and tell a story about it
4. Tag 5 more people and let them know.


Here's the story:

It's Rusty, obviously looking out the front door of our new house. I was unwrapping crap and piling paper by the door so it could be recycled. In any case, there's a McMansion across the street from our house that's for sale and from 1 - 3 on Sundays is Rusty's favorite time to look outside and see all the visitors going in & out of the open house.

And now I need to tag 5 people.
1. Jennifer
2. Robyn
3. Leah

But I only feel like tagging 3 today because I'm lazy.

Happy Sunday!