Browse Category: dog

Thank you, Mr. Turkey.

Thanksgiving Menu

It’s Thanksgiving, my 2nd most favorite holiday of the year!!!

Things I’m thankful for:

  • my health – no H1N1 yet!!
  • my job – hooray for regular paychecks in a down economy!
  • my family’s health – parents are thriving, husband is exercising again, and brother/joy are super happy and in love
  • plenty of friends around me at home and at work – they keep me sane
  • my dog – keeps me entertained and gets me out the door at least twice per day

The turkey is in the oven and all the ingredients for the sides are waiting their turn for a trip to the stove.  We’re making dinner for the Masayas and Yuans this year and the menu is complete with all the regular fixings.

Just in case you can’t read the chef’s writing, the menu is as follows:

Roasted Turkey

Shiitake Mushroom Gravy

Haricot Verts

Mashed Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Spinach Salad

Cranberry Compote

Baked Ham

Creamed Corn

Crescent Rolls

Stuffing

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m sewing!

sewing project

We have a fundraiser at work every year for our Pediatric Rehab Activity Fund and it usually involves a basic craft/bake sale and raffle.  I usually bake coconut macaroons and call it a day but this year I’ve decided to sew something!  I found a pattern in a book that I’ve had for the past year and finally decided to try it out.  Last week I bought some pretty fabric at the store next to Modern Mouse and borrowed Susie’s fancy sewing machine.  Thanks, Susie!

Teresa

I made a couple samples last night after figuring out the machine and this evening Teresa came over to help me cut fabric.  Thanks, Tiger!

dog

It turned out to be a pretty simple project and I managed to make 10 tonight in about an hour.  We sipped wine, ate some pizza, and Koa hung out under the table and nearly made me mess up by taking a nap on the sewing pedal!

half-way done

Here’s what it looks like while I’m half-way done.

All done!

Ta Da!!!  Here are all 10 stacked up together.  They look so legit!  I can’t believe I made these!

tissues

By the way, they’re travel tissue covers to keep in your bag.  I like to carry travel packs in my bag but the sticky tab gets all dusty and the whole pack falls apart.  With this cover, I’m able to keep everything together in a pretty little package!  Yippee!

Beach, Bridge, and a Bath

Fort Funston

On Saturday morning we took Koa to Fort Funston and he had an awesome time running, sniffing, and peeing.  He was also very well-behaved and did a little rolling around in the sand.

Bay Bridge

In the afternoon, we took him down to the Bay Bridge to watch the Blue Angels.  Unfortunately they had to cancel the show because the fog was too low.  Oh well, it was still sunny and we had a McDonald’s picnic by the water.

Bath

At the end of the day, we had to take Koa to the Bathhouse for his least favorite thing in the world.  Luckily I had help and we got it done in a jiffy.  He hated it.  I still got to’ up.  And the dog is squeaky clean.  It’s too bad it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.

Dirty Dirty Dirty

riding in the car

We just got back from our annual camping trip on Sunday afternoon and this year it was in Tahoe at Emerald Bay State Park.  We brought Koa along and the Sokol-Juns had Jack so it was a little different from past trips but just as fun.

emerald bay

It was a gorgeous weekend with warm, sunny days and cool nights.  I came home without a single mosquito bite but there were plenty of huge ants and pesky bees.  The lake was a sparkly blue and there were chipmunks everywhere.

lookout rock

Koa seemed to enjoy the great outdoors and even found himself a rock to sit on.  He got pretty comfy at the campsite and greeted each person as they entered by frantically searching for Fabian and bringing him to them.  I guess he’s made himself at home.  He also got to dig in the dirt, slept in the dirt, and was filthy.  I made sure to take him straight to the bathhouse on our way home.

jack in the dirt

jack and his lamp

Jack also made himself at home by plopping himself down on the dirt and playing with his trucks.  We even made him a garage for the trucks out of an empty Coors Light box.  For some reason I felt like the campground was extra dusty and dirty this year.  I couldn’t seem to keep my hands clean and came home with raw fingers and soot under my nails.

breakfast

As usual, each couple was in charge of taking care of one meal and we ate very well this past weekend.  Check out this breakfast burrito just prior to folding.  Unfortunately for us, the bees were also interested in our food and we we often chased over to the campfire for shelter from them.  Jes and I prepared corned beef hash and eggs on the final morning accompanied by the leftover veggies and pastries from the day before.

dishes

We also took turns cleaning up the pots and utensils.  Luckily we had a very good helper with the water faucet.  It doesn’t stay on so I usually had to hold the water on with one hand while attempting to wash and scrub with the other.  With Jack helping out, it made the chore less difficult.  He loved the water and we were getting the dishes done faster.

vyl on a rock

On Saturday afternoon we all walked down to the beach for a little rinse off of the feet in the ice cold water.  Vyl wished she had brought her swimsuit and decided to take a short nap on a rock.  Most of the boys actually jumped in and had a brief swim in the water.

beach

We snuck Koa down the trail and had him close-by on the beach.  At one point a 5-year-old girl came by to take away Jack’s pail and Koa went nutty.  The barking made Jack scowl but it made the girl go away.  Hah!

group photo

It was another fun camping trip for us and it looked like the boy and dog also had a good time.  Thanks for planning, Ryan!  Where are we going next year?!

Here are the photos: Day One |  Day Two |  Day Three

Bikes and Brisket

bikes

On Sunday, the boys drove across the bay to ride their bikes around Bear’s Loop and came back exhausted and sweaty.  It was almost 90 degrees out there and the hills were pretty steep.

Koa and Jack

yay dog

Later in the evening we went to the Sokol-Juns’ for smoked beef brisket that Ryan was working on all day.  Koa even got to hang out and Jack seemed to get a big kick out having the dog in his house.  Koa got to sniff the cats through the screen door and Wilby and Maru looked pretty anxious about having the dog in the house.

Vegas Weekend

The Venetian

Over the weekend, Jes and I went to Vegas to visit Kev, Karrie, and their little twin girls. Unfortunately there was a failure in planning so we ended up spending most of it at the Palazzo while the Wus were in LA for a family event. Our suite at the Palazzo was amazing. It had a double-door entrance, two bathrooms, a living area, separate bedroom, and bar. Ok, it was ridiculous. It turned out to be a nice refuge since it was a stinky 108 degrees outside!!!!  I think I took a total of 8 naps over the weekend.  Aaaahhhh…

bouchons

We spent Saturday and Sunday hanging out at the pool, window shopping, and had some pretty tasty meals. We went to Bouchon for brunch and had the chicken and waffles and chocolate “bouchons” (chocolate cake supposedly in the shape of corks). Both dishes were sooooo yummy. We also had dinner at Le Cirque and had such a good time eating, drinking, watching the fountain show from the window, and enjoyed the service. I had a really savory pork belly and fillet mignon topped with foie gras. *drool* We also had a wonderful spaghetti carbonara at Batali’s San Marco that I still think about every once in a while.

Karen & Katelin

On Monday, Kev was back from LA and picked us up for a day at his house. I FINALLY got to meet his little girls who just turned two years of age.

Karen and Jes

They have such distinct personalities and of course they were suspicious of their “Uncle Jesse”. Karen finally warmed up to him but Katelin wasn’t as amenable to him. We got back Monday evening and the Bangs seemed to have a decent time with Koa. They reported that he was pretty easy to take care of but always seemed “bummed out”. I reassured them that it wasn’t them and that it was his usual demeanor. What can I say? I have a lazy dog that sleeps all day. Thanks for your help, Bangs!!

Here are photos of the weekend.