September Morning

There is something elegant and wistful out here on my raggedy little mini farmstead.  I can't resist the morning ... donning rain boots and pj's with my tag-a-long friends, aka Daisy & Biscuit, we set out for a morning of musings in the dew and sunlight.

The $50 Puppy

This summer we added a new member to our family.   Introducing Daisy.

She's a Lab Coonhound mutt.  I'm not sure what has happened to me because I was dead set against getting a puppy.  On a warm summer day, as I was perusing the social media sale sites, I came across a listing on Facebook for $50 puppies...two of which were yellow!
YAY! WHAT? I don't need a dog! I totally don't need a puppy! So, how do I deal with this? I wasn't even in town at the time.
Well, of course I did what any good mom that doesn't need a puppy would do...

I sent the link to my 'weak for puppies' daughter! Yeah...I did that.

Shame on me, BAD MOM!!! But this takes all the guess work out of knowing what to do.  You leave it to that one child who has never winced at a decision. Okay... maybe over clothing. But when this girl decides something, there's no fence sitting, no wavering. Nope...she's in the car, with a plan, and don't get in her way.

So, on this day, she was at work when my link was texted to her. And before her keys were in the ignition at the end of her shift, her server earnings were earmarked for 'The $50 Puppy'. She grabbed her big brother and off they went.  And what's her dad going to say when our sweet daughter comes home with a puppy? Tell her 'No'? Of course not! 

Welcome Home Daisy!

Here we are, a month later, everyone has left for college but the 7th grader and guess who's left with Daisy Dog? And her antics, her messes, and her sneaky trips to my closet for shoes! Yep! It's me!!

Wow! What a life change. I. AM. IN. LOVE!

I am now guilty of being a Puppy Post-er on every form of social media I can find. I'm so sorry Facebook friends and Instagram followers. Not really. 

This little pup has become my newest obsession, hobby, and love.

I'm not sure if it's her wrinkly face with silly expressions or the way she just stares up at me waiting for me to look into her little doe eyes and embrace her, but whatever it is, I'm just smitten.

I could spend (waste) my entire day using every means possible to impart to any willing victim the sheer joy and entertainment this small creature brings to me.

She has some flaws (accidents).  My 12 year old chastised her stating 'you need to be trained!' after discovering a boo boo in the laundry room. 

I say, 'Need I remind you that it takes 2-3 years before tiny humans show any sign of potty training? She's 10 weeks old and whines when she has to go, so let's not throw rocks from our glass house.'

He laughs, thinking how funny and true that really is.  As humans, we are so impatient.  This little puppy already sits, lies down, and lets us know when she has to go.  If we ignore her communication we pay the price.

We already have an older lab mix, Sasha, and she is not real keen on the newby.  

There has been a serious increase in the barking in my house.  And as Daisy grows, she is even more vocal about how dang mad she is that this old dog won't get up and wrestle with her.

We were just sure that Daisy would learn great manners and good dog protocol from the older and wiser Sasha, but Sasha just can't be bothered.  She'd rather just saunter out of the room and take a nap. Daisy won't go away without a fight. She follows Sasha all over the yard and house, nips at her tail, tries to engage her in a good game of tug-a-war but so far, no dice. I'm not convinced just yet though.  I've caught Sasha when she thinks I'm not looking...tail wagging, making eye contact...she's warming up to the little scamp.

Is this puppy a response to my almost empty nest?...as the mom of 5, why stop the madness? 

Crazy Life = Mental Acuity - Right? I'm going with it.

Stay tuned for the follow up story about a little spotted pup that found a home!

Meet Daisy! Enjoy!

Mac-a-Hohns...? Yes, Please!

This weekend I told my self I was going to make macarons.
Not coconut macaroons....Delicate, adorable, and perfect French Mac-a-hohns....just say it...with a little throaty gargly sound on the 'hohns'.
I had the house to myself, well me and the d.o.g.'s.
And what did I do with my aspiration...I squandered it.  I played with the pups, took some walks, spent some time doing nothing, watched a movie, did some daydreaming...
But I needed to meet this goal.  So, despite the fact that the kiddo would be returning Sunday evening, I wasn't detoured and got my act together finally and put it all together around 8pm.
Hey... at least it happened.
Anyway, I found several recipes and videos online and finally came to the conclusion that Martha usually doesn't mess around with 'just okay' and I used her recipe for simple macarons.
I'm pretty impressed with myself that I had some success with my first go around.  I was a little disappointed with the raspberry but I attribute the failure to the addition of raspberry extract and coloring which changed the consistency of the meringue. Adding extracts intensifies the flavor, making the color come to life. It takes a lot to pack flavor into a two bite cookie.
I created my own flavor using Pumpkin Pie Spice in the meringue and the buttercream. I like it a lot!
I'm not a sweets fan so I think I need to run around town and drop them off to some unsuspecting folks and get some feedback...
I think that any experienced cook can make these.  Today I'm going to give it another go. Here's the flavors I'm making ... vanilla bean, pistachio, mocha, and blueberry.
I wonder who will be my target for the pastry bombing today?
Comment on my Facebook Page if you would like a macaron!  (But you have to pronounce it correctly when I get there) And no judgement...it's free, sweet, and I'm just learning! XO♥

But Mom, we want macarons too???!!!