My sweet Boston Terrier, Haley, turned 10 years old today!!
She was unfazed by crossing over to the double digit milestone.
My Hales has seen me through a marriage, divorce, moving to NC, moving back to KS, moving to TX, and switching jobs. She’s seen me at my best…and certainly at my worst. But she’ll never tell!
We celebrated today by going for a walk followed by copious amounts of Beggin’ Strips. I replenished her supply of rawhide bones and got her a plush squeaky toy–I expect it to last 3 days before the stuffing is everywhere.
Happy Birthday, Haley!
1. I finally got on the Downton Abbey bandwagon this week! Please tell me that Mr. Bates and Anna get married!! When will MY Mr. Bates come into my life?! I may throw a temper tantrum if Season 2 Disc 1 isn’t in my mailbox tomorrow.
2. I’ve been dreaming of Trader Joe’s horseradish pub cheese since I had it at my friend, Sarah’s, in Charlotte. Sadly, there is no TJ’s in Austin (until next year!) But I did find Pub Cheese at Super Target this week!! Hot Buffalo Wing flavored pretzels dipped in pub cheese…DO IT!
3. After reading so many positive things about the Clarisonic, I bought one myself. I’ve always had bad skin, which at 33 years old is utterly unfair. Clarisonic, bring me a skin miracle!
4. I went to JCP this week to buy my Mom a Mother’s Day present. Annnnd, I bought myself this ring and 2 pairs of sunglasses. Loving the ring!
Don’t worry…I got Mom a present too.
5. I gave Haley a bath yesterday. Ha! Obviously, you can tell that she just looooooves baths. Hehehe. She will turn ignore me for the next 48 hours to punish me for her bath torture.
Have a great Cinco de Mayo / Kentucky Derby Day!
Have you ever been snubbed by your dog?
It kinda stinks.
Guess who totally gave me the cold shoulder this weekend?
She HATES it when it’s time for her flea treatment. You know those little vials of liquid that you put on a dog’s back to prevent fleas/ticks… It smells sort of like orange-scented Pledge. I guess the smell drives Haley bonkers. For two days afterward, she avoided me like the plague. When I walked toward her, she’d get up and walk away.
Geez, she’s dramatic. Like dog, like owner.
I finally won her back Sunday afternoon by taking her on a 30 minute walk and giving her peanut butter. At least I know the secret to her heart.
You can also win over hearts with these easy cake mix cookies! I recently made these cookies to take to a friend’s dinner party. The cookies went over well and no one was the wiser that they took just a hot minute to make. Nothing wrong with letting people assume you slaved away in the kitchen!
Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Recipe from Cookies & Cups
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
1. I recently signed up for a Birchbox subscription. Once a month, you get a box with 4-5 beauty samples. It’s not practical, but it’s fun.
I got my first Birchbox this month. It had: Jouer lipgloss (the color is less harsh when you’re wearing it than in the tube), Juicy Couture perfume (which I’ve already used it all), Zoya nail polish (currently wearing it & liking it a lot), and some eye cream. Ladies can always use eye cream!!!
2. Self-serve froyo places are the BEST!
I could have gotten a separate bowl just for more Twix bars too.
3. I got the Camera+ app on my iPhone this week. I learned about it from Janetha. It’s awesome!!
My favorite Haley picture so far:
4. I got these cute Valentine’s Day towels from my friend, Amy, for my birthday!
Owl Be Yours
5. I’m in gift card heaven currently. Hello Starbucks, iTunes, Target, and Best Buy. I’m currently saving up for an iPad from Best Buy. Wheeeeeew. :)
1. I tried my luck at the casino yesterday since it was 11/11/11. I lost. Maybe I’ll try again next year on 12/12/12.
I cashed out with 10 cents left on the machine. I thought about taking it to the cashier to get my dime. But I decided that would be too sad.
2. It took me the whole episode of The Good Wife to recognize where I knew the red-headed attorney from.
It’s Arlene from True Blood!!
She’s way better on The Good Wife.
3. There’s a 90% chance that I’ll cry anytime I watch Grey’s Anatomy. This week was no exception. Henry!! Come back!!! 
4. I made my bed this morning!! (I usually do, thank.you.very.much.)
What’s the black & white thing though?
Is that a lump?
This is how I find Haley almost every day. She’s such a considerate little pup. She somehow burrows under the cover while still maintaining the look of the made bed.
That takes talent.
5. This week I was at the grocery store one afternoon. I was walking around the produce section and suddenly I decided that maybe I should try sushi again. I’ve tried it about 5 times and each time it was a no-go. But once I get something in my head, there’s no turning back. So, I headed over to the sushi department and got a spicy tuna roll.
You guys…it was delicious!!!
I’m finally a hip, sushi lover…..10 years late to the party.
Guess who’s birthday it is??
I see you!
That’s a little better. I swear she loves to sleep completely submerged under layers of blankets.
Happy 9th birthday to my Haley girl!
Haley must have been worn out this day to sit still enough for petting.
She loves to eat.
Her birthday presents!
She likes the PB ice cream treats.
PLEASEeeeeeeeee give me a Beggin’ Strip. She goes bananas for these things!!
One of Haley’s favorite things to do is lay in the sun and graw on a chew bone.
Happy birthday to my sweet baby.
I’m out of coffee. How did this happen? I only have Orange White Tea. My Keurig order won’t come until early next week.
Can I go the whole weekend without coffee???
Heck no, I can’t! Starbucks to the rescue…with some perfect oatmeal for extra measure.
I paid for the lady’s coffee that was behind me in line too. It’s nice to put out some good karma every now and then.
Haley always sleeps completely submerged under the covers. I sometimes come in to uncover her head. She then gives me a look that she’s disgusted at me for disturbing her. Seriously…how does she BREATHE with her head under the covers??
Do you ever pay for a stranger’s coffee at Starbucks?
If you have a dog, does your dog have strange sleeping habits too?
Have a lovely Saturday morning!!
So, I ran out of dog food last night. And I was too lazy to go to the grocery store.
I poured Special K cereal into Haley’s bowl instead. (Don’t judge!) Haley didn’t seem to mind. I often have cereal for dinner!
Okay, I think she minded a little bit. She about flipped out with excitement when I came home this morning with dog food. All is right in the world now.
Seque!
Did you see last Sunday’s True Blood?? Yes, I’m behind. Did you notice it was Mona from Who’s The Boss playing Andy’s grandmother?? I think she’s aging very gracefully. Go Mona!
Back to the Special K. I recently made Special K dessert bars. Any dessert that doesn’t require turning on your oven is great now! There’s a ton of variations on these babies too. You can make them with cornflakes or rice krispies too. And just use your choice of baking chips that you love and/or have on hand. As with most dessert, I prefer these cold!!
Special K Dessert Bars
Recipe from Kate’s in a Pickle
Ingredients:
8 cups Special K cereal
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used closer to 1.5 cups.)
1 cup butterscotch chips (I used closer to 1.5 cups)
about 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Spray a 9×13 inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add 8 cups Special K. Add the peanut butter on top of the cereal. Set aside.
Bring the sugar and corn syrup to a boil in a saucepan.
Pour the boiling mixture over the Special K. Stir well.
Smooth the Special K mixture into your baking dish. Set aside to let cool.
Melt your chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a saucepan (or in the microwave in 30 second increments stirring in between) on low heat. Continue to stir. Add heavy cream as needed to get a smooth, pourable consistency.
Smooth the chocolate/butterscotch topping over the top of the Special K. Spread with a rubber spatula to get an even layer. Place the baking dish in the refrigerator to let the topping harder, at least 30 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving. Per Kate’s suggestion, I used a pizza cutter to slice the bars and it worked quite well!
Thanks to Sarah for this cute polka dot plate that she got me while I was in Charlotte too!
Hey hey! I made it back to Wichita, KS today. Dang, it’s hot!! I had a fun 8 days in Charlotte, NC staying with Sarah and catching up with lots of friends.
I hope to get back to a quasi-regular blog schedule again very soon!!!!
For now, I’ll leave you with this:
After getting home today, I stopped by my aunt & uncle’s. They are moving to Austin, TX (those lucky ducks!!) this weekend. My aunt asked if I wanted any food from the fridge and freezer. Ummmm YES!!!!! My fridge was bare from being out of town for over a week. I scored a ton of frozen veggies and fresh fruit and veggies. I got some MASSIVE zucchini. I’m especially excited about the dried cranberries and pecans. Hello salad fixins! Thanks again so much Ann!!!
And finally, this:
I’m happy to be reunited with my puppers, Haley. She’s probably sad to be away from my parents. She loves being able to suntan in their yard and get cheese treats from my Mom. But hopefully I can win her back over with tummy rubs over the next few days. 
Happy Thursday!!
What did you have for breakfast??
I had forgotten how much I like VitaTops. Muffin-y goodness without the guilt.
Deep Chocolate VitaTop Muffin, skiff of PB, a few tbls of Greek yogurt with lots of cinnamon, 1/2 tbl Chia seeds, and 1/2 banana. Perfection.
You know what else is perfection? This little girl watching me make breakfast.
