jay-fizzle

This is Jazmyn Koko Beans. She has somewhere near a million names.

Jazzy
Beans
Jazz-beans
Jay-Fizzle
Tato (like Puh-tato, but without the Puh)

She's amazing and I adore her.

She's one of those pocket size dogs that has no purpose in life except to warm your heart. I love her. 

The Dog Park

Today we took our little Leia Bear to the dog park. Tymbur Wolf stayed behind because he tends to get grumpy about meeting other dogs, but Leia was pretty excited about the whole thing. 

As soon as we got there she practically jumped out the window. She'd never been there before, but I guess she could smell the excitement or something. We quickly got out and let her into the play area. 

She was immediately befriended by an adorable horse of a dog. He was a great dane and he was at least twice her size. When he approached her you could tell that she was a bit scared by his size. She took off running as fast as she could and he easily galloped behind her. She quickly tried to make friends with a tiny little corgi. Much less scary. 

We laughed as the great dane followed her around as she made sure to smile and greet every human in the dog park. Apparently we need to take her to a regular park since it was the people that she enjoyed the most! It's probably best that we teach her to be a little less free with her kisses though. There was a little girl whose face happened to be Leia's height who was pretty surprised at the quick run-by kiss that she recieved. 

We didn't stay long but she had a lovely time. It was nice to get out and enjoy the pretty weather. 

Grandma's Potatoes

I don't actually remember writing this, but hey! It looks useful! 

We went to Allen's Grandma's house the other day and she made some delicious potatoes that I really enjoyed. I asked for the recipe so I could recreate it and here it is! Enjoy!

Roasted Ranch Potatoes

2 pounds potatoes (unpeeled, washed and cut into chunks)
1/2 cup ranch dressing (bottled, not packet)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus 1/4 cup more for topping
1/4 cup crumbled, cooked bacon or real bacon pieces from jar
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
3 scallions, washed and chopped
Salt
Pepper
Sour Cream (optional)
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add (in a large bowl) the ranch dressing, dill, cheese and bacon. Add in the potatoes. Sprinkle in a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat potatoes.

Spoon into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover with foil.

Bake for 60 minutes. Stir gently halfway through to get the bottom potatoes rotated so they don't become burnt and to ensure that the middle and top potatoes get a chance to brown.

Remove foil. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Gently stir again, as necessary.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake a few more minutes or until everything is gooey, browned and bubbly on top.

Serve with scallions sprinkled on top for garnish.

Great with a dollop of sour cream.

for being the dog that doesn't settle down, she sure knows how to strike an intense pose.

 

I got a camera and now someone thinks she's a model.

 

falling in love... with fall

if you would have asked me last week if I was ready for fall I would've told you to shut it, but according to the runny nose I've had since Tuesday, and the fact that the leaves are already changing colors, it's fast approaching.

I'm excited.

Music speaks for me.

 

I can't be artistic on command, but if an idea sits in my head long enough, it tends to leak out.

 

Sometimes I'm happy with the results, and sometimes I'm not.

 

What I can tell you is that I'm enjoying playing the ukulele, even though I only know how to play one song.

 

If you ever want to have a sing along to you are my sunshine, just ask. You just might have to pause while I switch between chords in the middle of the song. 

 

 

And because I've yet to create any music that's "magical", enjoy a video of someone who has.

Molly Kate Kestner:

 

p.s. painting tropical pictures onto a ukulele will not decrease your desire to pack up and move to Hawaii.

I'm a big kid with a big kid job now

I love my job, I truly do. Working the same schedule every day has added some sanity to my life and it's been great. Need to make a doctor's appointment? sweet. I know exactly what hours I work. It's a magical thing, a white collar job, I think it's something everyone should get to experience.

No uniform, paid holidays, paid vacation... Let's face it, as fun as fast food was, it made me miserable. My heart aches for my former managers and co-workers that are still dealing with that mess every day.

The one unfortunate thing about my job is that I don't get to use my paid vacation for the first 6 months that I work there. As far as I knew, that was fine. I had Saturdays and Sundays all to myself to plan my events on. And I only work mornings, so I could even start my weekend adventures after 2 on Fridays. 

Fine and dandy.

I just wish that people would stop planning things on weekdays. If it's more than a two hour drive, I probably won't be making it to your event if it's on a weekday. I really am truly sorry, but I have bills to pay. I hope you understand.

I wish I could be there for everything, but I can't and it breaks my heart.