Why Animal Planet's Mermaid "Documentary" is a MAJOR Disappointment

Tonight, Husband and I watched part of Mermaids: The Body Found on Animal Planet.

Just in case you live in a cave, here are both teaser trailers for Star Wars Episode VII

Cave dwellers aside, the entire planet has already seen the teaser trailers for Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens.....

....but still, I have to post them.  It's a new Star Wars movie, for crying out loud.

The newer of the two trailers features a voice-over from Mark Hamill, and a clip of Harrison Ford as Han Solo:

Misbehaving Max and the Styrofoam

I'm trying to turn our second bedroom into a sewing/craft/hobby room of sorts.  To that end, I ordered a set of cubbies off of Amazon--the type that are made of manufactured wood and you put together yourself.  I unpacked the pieces and assembled the cubbies in the living room specifically so that I could keep an eye on Max without bringing him within reach of my craft supplies

I swear I only turned my back for a second....

Culinary Adventures: Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce

Husband and I were having trouble finding gluten-free enchilada sauce in the grocery store, so I decided to try making a gluten-free version of this recipe for "Easy Red Enchilda Sauce" from Budget Bytes.

Easy Red Enchilada Sauce by Budget Bytes

Can Dogs Learn to Share?

I've been wondering: is it possible for dogs to learn to share?

More specifically, is it possible for Beatrice and Max to learn to share toys?

24 hours ago, I would have said "no." Then, yesterday afternoon, a veritable miracle occurred: Beatrice and Max played with Beatrice's blue monster toy.  Together. And without bloodshed.

Doggy Update: Beatrice (mostly) Likes Our New Puppy

I managed to capture this shot of Beatrice and Max in the back garden last week:

Awwww.....

Max has been living with us for eleven days now, and Beatrice seems to like him...most of the time, anyway.

We Adopted a Puppy!

In case you haven't heard the news, Max is now officially our furry baby!

On Friday night, Lorie, a very nice lady from SOAR Doggy Rescue, brought Max to our house to oversee his first meeting with Beatrice.  (I'm presuming that she also took a surreptitious look at our fence, but there was no "grand inspection".)

Beatrice's First Trip to the Shelby Farm Dog Park

I took Beatrice to the Shelby Farms Dog Park for the first time today.  She was a little scared at first, but soon relaxed and had lots of off-leash fun, running through the grass and exploring.

Calligraphy Desk Inspiration & The Possible Benefits of a Glass Top Desk for Calligraphy

Pilsen Desk in "Salt"

A new Crate & Barrel catalog arrived in the mail over the weekend.  As I flipped through the pages, a picture of the Pilsen Desk in Salt caught my eye almost immediately. When I imagine my ideal craft room, it includes a dedicated spot for writing and calligraphy, and a desk similar to this would be perfect.

We are (Almost!) Approved to Adopt a Puppy; Meanwhile, Poor Beatrice Dog Recovers from Sedation

Max!!! Photo Source: Tweet by SOAR Doggy Rescue

Today I received a call from Andra, the director of SOAR Doggy Rescue.  After asking me a few questions about Beatrice and how well she got along with other dogs, she said that she had reviewed our adoption application, and we were approved to adopt Max!...well, almost approved.  There are 2 steps left: the contract, and the home visit.

Puppy Adoption: Is This "The One"?

We just back from got back from SOAR Doggie Rescue's adoption event at Hollywood Feed in Bartlett, and we may have found the perfect friend for Beatrice!  His name is Max and he's 3 months old.

Puppy Adoption: Meeting the Puppies at FCAR

This afternoon, Husband and I drove to Rossville, TN to meet the puppies available for adoption at Fayette County Animal Shelter.

First up was Augie, a black and white spotty puppy with fluffy fur:

Husband holding Augie

Puppy Adoption: The Quest Begins!

As many of you know, Husband and I are thinking of adopting a puppy.  It isn't a 100% percent final decision yet, but still--cue the happy dance!

Help Me Pick a New Blogger Template

I am on the hunt for a new blogger template, and I want to hear your opinions.

I'm currently using a template called NoteBook Scribbles, created by Blogger Candy.  It's absolutely adorable, but I feel like it can be difficult to read.  I always change the text to Arial, size large, to combat that problem. Plus, the mobile version is definitely lacking.

Doggie Easter Baskets + Beatrice with her Easter Bunny

Just before Easter, I went to Hollywood Feed to buy dog food, and naturally spent ample time browsing, so as not to miss any other items that my sweet baby might need. That's when it hit me: it was absolutely necessary that I make Beatrice the dog an Easter basket. The need for doggie Easter baskets was so obvious.  How could I never have seen it before?

In my excitement, I must have been sending out strong telepathic waves, because shortly thereafter both MiddleSister and YoungestSister sent me this via Pinterest:

Culinary Adventures: Gluten Free S'mores Brownie Pie

Cooking can be fun, but it can also be a lot of work, and take a lot of time.  In the end, I like for my efforts to be rewarded with an actual meal.  Thus, I almost always cook dinner entrees.  I'll occasionally try making a side dish or an appetizer. I very rarely attempt baking or desserts (with the notable exception of creme brulee, which I've made 3 times now.)

Then, Husband and I invited guests over for dinner. Not only were these our first dinner guests since we got married, these were our first guests period.  It felt like a significant moment, and I wanted to make a special effort.  I had seen a recipe on Pinterest for S'mores Brownie Pie from Sally's Baking Addiction, and decided to mark the occasion by making a gluten-free version.

This is the image that caught my eye on Pinterest.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 2, Episode 11: Raina Becomes a Creepy Hedgehog (Recap)

I wrote this post at the beginning of March, but never got around to finishing and/or posting it.  In the grand tradition of my family, I'm late.

I have a confession: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is now the television show that I most look forward to seeing.

Whenever I reflect on this, I see a vision of my mother giving me The Look, which is something like this:

Culinary Adventures: Somewhat Experimental Tomato Pasta Sauce

On Friday, I decided to have gluten-free pasta for lunch, only to realize that the closest thing I had to pasta sauce was tomato paste.  Being the shamelessly lazy person that I am, I decided to make do with what I had instead of going to the grocery store.  Accordingly, I googled "how to make pasta sauce from tomato paste," and found this recipe for Quick Tomato Pasta Sauce from taste.com.au

Behold the wonders of the internet: Americans who are too lazy to go buy pasta sauce can learn from Australians how to cook Italian food.

It's Official: We're Going to Dragon Con! (Also, My New Favorite Thing is airbnb.com)

Very exciting news: last night DH and I booked a place to stay in Atlanta for Dragon Con 2015!  Yay!  We already have our memberships--DH purchased them several months ago after I went to Dragon Con for my bachelorette party, and he had to miss out.

Distractions: Winnie the Pooh meets Star Wars

The Internet is a place where one can find many things that are simultaneously random and awesome, and thus highly distracting.  Case in point: Chewbacca, Han Solo and R2D2 drawn as if part of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh.  

Random + Awesome = Winnie the Pooh and Star Wars Mash-Up

Awkward Baby Clothes

Ever since finding out that my sister is pregnant, I have spent an inordinate amount of time looking at baby clothes online for a woman who is not pregnant, has no human children, and no longer works in a baby store. Yesterday, I saw these outfits from Chou Chou on Zulily. Do I have a perverse mind, or is the positioning of the elephant trunk...a little....awkward? Seriously, what were these designers thinking?

Culinary Adventures: Gluten-Free Empanadas

Since I've gotten married, I've been cooking much, MUCH more frequently, especially at dinnertime. I'm not familiar with very many recipes, and I don't particularly relish the idea of eating the same thing over and over again, so I've been trying a lot of new recipes--at least 3 or 4 every week. I've tried to stick to recipes that are quick and easy (or are at least CLAIMED to be quick and easy), and I've met with a reasonable amount of success: so far everything I've made has been eatable, and sometimes even extremely tasty.

This past weekend, I attempted to make empanadas based on this recipe from Real Simple. The steps are not complicated: make 8-inch rounds of pizza dough, put refried beans, salsa, and cheese in the center, fold in half, and bake.