Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

May your day be filled with life's many blessings.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

May your day be filled with life's many blessings.

Remembering Harley

Some may think posting a "remembrance" post about a dog is a little silly. Some may be thinking "it's just a dog." So I am making the recommendation that those skip this post and move on. Have a great day!

"Just a dog" has to be something only people who have never owned and taken care of a dog would say. To those of us who have seen and understand what pets bring to our lives, they are more that "just a dog" and deserve to be treated as such. 

1 year ago today, my family and I lost one of the best friends we've ever had. 6 years before that we adopted a little furball of a puppy that was buried under his brother's and sister's and he instantly became a part of our family. He reeked of kennel and dog urine but we took him home and gave him a bath and named him, Harley. Harley was a fantastic dog. So well behaved and about as laid back as can be. He loved plush toys, beef jerky, giving high fives and bear hugs. He was about as snuggly as dogs come with all that thick black fur. His favorite place to be was with you, always by your side and truly man's best friend. Harley was a lazy dog, wouldn't fetch for the life of him unless he was retrieving something out of the water. That was the only time he wasn't lazy, water. He was a great swimmer and would swim for hours. There were times we ended up putting a life jacket on him because he just wouldn't get out of the water and was getting so tired his fluffy butt started to sink but he just kept swimming. He enjoyed riding in the kayak on the lake and would just cruise right along. I loved this dog and the day we lost him was one of the hardest of my life. 

Giving a High Five

December 21, 2010 was a terrible day. My mom called me at work in the morning to tell me that Harley had been hit by a car early in the morning. Harley is our family dog, we got him shortly after the loss of our Golden Retriever Molly. When my sister got married in August of that year, she took Harley with her to live with her and her new husband. All I could think was my poor baby. They rushed him to the vet and then brought him up to an ortho specialist at the Ohio State Veterinary Hospital, his left hip and pelvis had been completely shattered. My sister and her husband decided to go forth with the very pricey surgery to try to repair the damage in our bubby. That night, before we left the vet hospital, even though he was doped up on pain meds Harley still looked at us and gave us his infamous high five. We had so much hope that he was going to be ok. 

Surgery was scheduled to happen early the next morning on December 22 and we were instructed to wait for a call from the surgeon. Sadly, we received heart breaking news instead of the good news we were hoping for when she did. We were told it was unlikely that Harley would make it. It's hard to describe how absolutely devastating those words were to hear. After more x-rays and blood tests, new injuries had surfaced and the surgeon was expressing concern about Harley's quality of life and his ability to recover.  I was desperately trying to keep my self calm which seemed impossible but it was important, I was almost 6 months pregnant at the time. We had a tough decision to make. We decided not to go through with surgery, through the tears and heartbreak, on December 22, 2010 we said good bye to Harley for the last time. 

I miss that mutt every day. There was just something about that pound puppy that made your heart a  happy heart. Rest in peace bubby, I love you. 

Remembering Harley

Some may think posting a "remembrance" post about a dog is a little silly. Some may be thinking "it's just a dog." So I am making the recommendation that those skip this post and move on. Have a great day!

"Just a dog" has to be something only people who have never owned and taken care of a dog would say. To those of us who have seen and understand what pets bring to our lives, they are more that "just a dog" and deserve to be treated as such. 

1 year ago today, my family and I lost one of the best friends we've ever had. 6 years before that we adopted a little furball of a puppy that was buried under his brother's and sister's and he instantly became a part of our family. He reeked of kennel and dog urine but we took him home and gave him a bath and named him, Harley. Harley was a fantastic dog. So well behaved and about as laid back as can be. He loved plush toys, beef jerky, giving high fives and bear hugs. He was about as snuggly as dogs come with all that thick black fur. His favorite place to be was with you, always by your side and truly man's best friend. Harley was a lazy dog, wouldn't fetch for the life of him unless he was retrieving something out of the water. That was the only time he wasn't lazy, water. He was a great swimmer and would swim for hours. There were times we ended up putting a life jacket on him because he just wouldn't get out of the water and was getting so tired his fluffy butt started to sink but he just kept swimming. He enjoyed riding in the kayak on the lake and would just cruise right along. I loved this dog and the day we lost him was one of the hardest of my life. 

Giving a High Five

December 21, 2010 was a terrible day. My mom called me at work in the morning to tell me that Harley had been hit by a car early in the morning. Harley is our family dog, we got him shortly after the loss of our Golden Retriever Molly. When my sister got married in August of that year, she took Harley with her to live with her and her new husband. All I could think was my poor baby. They rushed him to the vet and then brought him up to an ortho specialist at the Ohio State Veterinary Hospital, his left hip and pelvis had been completely shattered. My sister and her husband decided to go forth with the very pricey surgery to try to repair the damage in our bubby. That night, before we left the vet hospital, even though he was doped up on pain meds Harley still looked at us and gave us his infamous high five. We had so much hope that he was going to be ok. 

Surgery was scheduled to happen early the next morning on December 22 and we were instructed to wait for a call from the surgeon. Sadly, we received heart breaking news instead of the good news we were hoping for when she did. We were told it was unlikely that Harley would make it. It's hard to describe how absolutely devastating those words were to hear. After more x-rays and blood tests, new injuries had surfaced and the surgeon was expressing concern about Harley's quality of life and his ability to recover.  I was desperately trying to keep my self calm which seemed impossible but it was important, I was almost 6 months pregnant at the time. We had a tough decision to make. We decided not to go through with surgery, through the tears and heartbreak, on December 22, 2010 we said good bye to Harley for the last time. 

I miss that mutt every day. There was just something about that pound puppy that made your heart a  happy heart. Rest in peace bubby, I love you. 

Tasty Thursday ~ Pinterest Challenge

Like most women these days, I can get lost for hours on Pinterest without realizing any time has passed at all. I've spent many a hour of my life scrolling and clicking, pinning and liking. I've browsed through probably thousands of recipes and  have drooled over most of them but never really thought about I actually trying one.

But then I feasted my eyes upon this beauty. A Peanut Butter Cheese Ball!

Peanut butter, chocolate, sugar, cream cheese and graham crackers, seriously, how could you NOT want to make this!?!?!? So I thought it in my own best interest to buy all the ingredients and make this IMMEDIATELY! So I did and this was the end result. . . . . .

I mixed it up a little bit by adding white chocolate chips, I'm a sucker for white chocolate. This was absolutely delicious! DELICIOUS I say! It was a little like a giant buckeye comboed with a fluffy peanut butter pie. Oh my mouth is watering just writing this post. In order to make myself feel just a wee bit better about eating this, I used fat free cream cheese and reduced fat peanut butter. Now if only there was a substitute for powdered sugar and brown sugar. Oh well, didn't stop me from eating it :) 

IDEA ALERT!!!!!

What if, instead of rolling the peanut butter cheese ball in the chocolate chips, we skip that part all together? This would make an amazingly awesome dip. Put it in the middle of a platter with a array of teddy grahams, celery sticks, apple slices, potato chips (don't knock it till you try it, sweet n' salty is a beautiful thing) 

What else might taste good with the peanut butter?

So all in all this Pinterest challenge was a success! What can I get myself into next? 

Recipe

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature to blend better. (I used fat free)

1 cup powdered sugar 
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (natural doesn't really work well here)
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar 
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips ( I added this one)
Graham crackers, teddy grahams work awesome!

Directions:
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until blended. 

Scoop onto a large piece of plastic wrap (make sure it's a LARGE piece!); bring up all four corners and twist tightly forming into a ball shape.

Freeze for about an hour and a half or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place peanut butter, chocolate, and white chocolate chips in flat dish or shallow bowl. Remove plastic wrap from ball and roll ball into chips to completely cover, pressing chips into the ball if necessary.

Place ball on serving dish; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until almost firm. Let sit for 20 minutes to soften when you are ready to serve. Prepare yourself for some crazy insane peanut butter goodness!!!!!

Tasty Thursday ~ Pinterest Challenge

Like most women these days, I can get lost for hours on Pinterest without realizing any time has passed at all. I've spent many a hour of my life scrolling and clicking, pinning and liking. I've browsed through probably thousands of recipes and  have drooled over most of them but never really thought about I actually trying one.

But then I feasted my eyes upon this beauty. A Peanut Butter Cheese Ball!

Peanut butter, chocolate, sugar, cream cheese and graham crackers, seriously, how could you NOT want to make this!?!?!? So I thought it in my own best interest to buy all the ingredients and make this IMMEDIATELY! So I did and this was the end result. . . . . .

I mixed it up a little bit by adding white chocolate chips, I'm a sucker for white chocolate. This was absolutely delicious! DELICIOUS I say! It was a little like a giant buckeye comboed with a fluffy peanut butter pie. Oh my mouth is watering just writing this post. In order to make myself feel just a wee bit better about eating this, I used fat free cream cheese and reduced fat peanut butter. Now if only there was a substitute for powdered sugar and brown sugar. Oh well, didn't stop me from eating it :) 

IDEA ALERT!!!!!

What if, instead of rolling the peanut butter cheese ball in the chocolate chips, we skip that part all together? This would make an amazingly awesome dip. Put it in the middle of a platter with a array of teddy grahams, celery sticks, apple slices, potato chips (don't knock it till you try it, sweet n' salty is a beautiful thing) 

What else might taste good with the peanut butter?

So all in all this Pinterest challenge was a success! What can I get myself into next? 

Recipe

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature to blend better. (I used fat free)

1 cup powdered sugar 
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (natural doesn't really work well here)
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar 
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips ( I added this one)
Graham crackers, teddy grahams work awesome!

Directions:
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until blended. 

Scoop onto a large piece of plastic wrap (make sure it's a LARGE piece!); bring up all four corners and twist tightly forming into a ball shape.

Freeze for about an hour and a half or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place peanut butter, chocolate, and white chocolate chips in flat dish or shallow bowl. Remove plastic wrap from ball and roll ball into chips to completely cover, pressing chips into the ball if necessary.

Place ball on serving dish; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until almost firm. Let sit for 20 minutes to soften when you are ready to serve. Prepare yourself for some crazy insane peanut butter goodness!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Santa's coming?

Wait! Santa's coming?

Wordless Wednesday ~ Santa's coming?

Wait! Santa's coming?

My husband is NOT heartless.

Lauren Schmees Photography

My husband is an amazing father. To be honest, this is something that was unexpected. You see, my husband is what you might call a "typical man." He is absolutely terrible when it comes to emotions. He would just assume not have them at all and I would kill to know what they are. When I told him I was pregnant, I believe the actual word he used was "dread." After Alex was born I asked Kris if he loved him and he could never answer me with anything other than "I care for him." It wasn't until Alex was around 6 weeks old Kris told me that Alex was growing on him.
My intention is by no means to paint a heartless, emotionless picture of who my husband is. That is not the case at all. Kris has plenty of emotion, he just doesn't know what to do with it, especially how to express it. I've know him for 12 years so it's something I suppose you could say I'm used to, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't bothered by his lack of emotion for our son. I knew that he loved him, he just didn't know it yet. His baby love was on back order, but it was definitely on it's way.

We've come a long way in the short almost 9 months since Alex was born. Alex is a happy, healthy baby boy and our family is strong and beautiful. Kris has fallen incredibly in love with our little boy. I love watching them together and is quite clear that Daddy is the favorite (something I suppose I have to learn to live with) Alex will crawl over and climb into Kris's lap when he is sitting on the floor and Kris will just sit there and cradle him. My forehead always used to be the receiver of soft kisses and now it's become Alex's little head, it's wonderful. I do miss those though, no lying here. Kris is an all-star when it comes to getting those little baby laughs to fill the house. Alex smiles nearly every time he sees his daddy.

These past 9 months have been a journey. We've spent them trying to figure this parenting thing out, making sure Alex is fed, clean, clothed and  happy. We sit on the floor and we clap and sing and dance, we play with as many toys at once as we can. We laugh, and sometimes we cry. Kris and I are dumbfounded at how something so small and innocent can make us feel the way we do. How does he make our hearts bigger, warmer and so full of joy? Alex has changed everything that Kris and I know about eachother, in a good way. But most of all, Alex has proven to me that my husband is not heartless.

Hallelujah!

My husband is NOT heartless.

Lauren Schmees Photography

My husband is an amazing father. To be honest, this is something that was unexpected. You see, my husband is what you might call a "typical man." He is absolutely terrible when it comes to emotions. He would just assume not have them at all and I would kill to know what they are. When I told him I was pregnant, I believe the actual word he used was "dread." After Alex was born I asked Kris if he loved him and he could never answer me with anything other than "I care for him." It wasn't until Alex was around 6 weeks old Kris told me that Alex was growing on him.
My intention is by no means to paint a heartless, emotionless picture of who my husband is. That is not the case at all. Kris has plenty of emotion, he just doesn't know what to do with it, especially how to express it. I've know him for 12 years so it's something I suppose you could say I'm used to, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't bothered by his lack of emotion for our son. I knew that he loved him, he just didn't know it yet. His baby love was on back order, but it was definitely on it's way.

We've come a long way in the short almost 9 months since Alex was born. Alex is a happy, healthy baby boy and our family is strong and beautiful. Kris has fallen incredibly in love with our little boy. I love watching them together and is quite clear that Daddy is the favorite (something I suppose I have to learn to live with) Alex will crawl over and climb into Kris's lap when he is sitting on the floor and Kris will just sit there and cradle him. My forehead always used to be the receiver of soft kisses and now it's become Alex's little head, it's wonderful. I do miss those though, no lying here. Kris is an all-star when it comes to getting those little baby laughs to fill the house. Alex smiles nearly every time he sees his daddy.

These past 9 months have been a journey. We've spent them trying to figure this parenting thing out, making sure Alex is fed, clean, clothed and  happy. We sit on the floor and we clap and sing and dance, we play with as many toys at once as we can. We laugh, and sometimes we cry. Kris and I are dumbfounded at how something so small and innocent can make us feel the way we do. How does he make our hearts bigger, warmer and so full of joy? Alex has changed everything that Kris and I know about eachother, in a good way. But most of all, Alex has proven to me that my husband is not heartless.

Hallelujah!

5QF ~ Merry Christmas Peanut Butter Ball

 

Another great 5 questions from Mama M, enjoy!

Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky post to appear Friday morning and LINK UP!

Oh, and remember (pay close attention...this is the important one)...HAVE FUN!

1. What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?

Oh my gosh, how on earth do I answer this one? I have received so many wonderful gifts in my 28 years I can't possibly single out the "best." I am a firm believer that its the thought that counts, that's where the best gifts come from, the thought behind them ;)

2. Worst/Funniest White Elephant gift ever received?

The funny thing is, I participate in a White Elephant gift exchange every year and for the life of me I can't figure out what has been the worst???? The funniest though, that one's easy. It's a cat, we call it the dead cat, that seems to resurface year after year. It's this stuffed cat (not real) that looks like it has real fur and is curled up like it's sleeping on a pillow. I think it's pretty creepy and it's realistic enough that it drives all the dogs nuts! It seems to resurface every year.

3. Is your Christmas tree plain and simple (white lights and matching ornaments) or is it wild and crazy (colored lights with lots of ornaments collected over the years)?

Um, in between???? I am a fan of white lights, I think it looks classy and elegant, but that's about as classy and elegant as my Christmas tree goes. We have a random collection of ornaments that we brought from our childhood and new ones we've either bought or received since we got married. I know in the years to come our tree will be full of handmade macaroni and ceramic hand print ornaments, I can't wait :)

 

4. "How" do you iron your clothes? The old fashioned iron/ironing board way, the shower, back in the dryer, etc.

I own an ironing board (2 of them actually) and a very nice Rowenta iron, but rarely does mine or my husband's clothes touch either one. My iron get's used mainly for my sewing projects. My dryer has this oh so fabulous wrinkle release setting, I used it daily ;) Is that cheating????

5. How much baking do you do for Christmas and what are your "must make" items? (I'm looking for recipes here, peeps...)

I tend to make lots and lots of cookies, buckeyes, fudge, and so on and so on. There are certain members of my husband's family that go CrAzY over my layer bars. . . . chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate, graham cracker crust, pecans, and toasted coconut with sweet condensed milk. . . . who wouldn't like that???!!! BUT, this year things are a little different, my sister is due to have a baby at anytime so baking has been put on the back burner as our Christmas plans are slightly up in the air. So this year I am making something new, a recipe I found on pinterest. Peanut Butter Cheese Ball

Ummmm... YUM!!!

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY HOLIDAY'S!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5QF ~ Merry Christmas Peanut Butter Ball

 

Another great 5 questions from Mama M, enjoy!

Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky post to appear Friday morning and LINK UP!

Oh, and remember (pay close attention...this is the important one)...HAVE FUN!

1. What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?

Oh my gosh, how on earth do I answer this one? I have received so many wonderful gifts in my 28 years I can't possibly single out the "best." I am a firm believer that its the thought that counts, that's where the best gifts come from, the thought behind them ;)

2. Worst/Funniest White Elephant gift ever received?

The funny thing is, I participate in a White Elephant gift exchange every year and for the life of me I can't figure out what has been the worst???? The funniest though, that one's easy. It's a cat, we call it the dead cat, that seems to resurface year after year. It's this stuffed cat (not real) that looks like it has real fur and is curled up like it's sleeping on a pillow. I think it's pretty creepy and it's realistic enough that it drives all the dogs nuts! It seems to resurface every year.

3. Is your Christmas tree plain and simple (white lights and matching ornaments) or is it wild and crazy (colored lights with lots of ornaments collected over the years)?

Um, in between???? I am a fan of white lights, I think it looks classy and elegant, but that's about as classy and elegant as my Christmas tree goes. We have a random collection of ornaments that we brought from our childhood and new ones we've either bought or received since we got married. I know in the years to come our tree will be full of handmade macaroni and ceramic hand print ornaments, I can't wait :)

 

4. "How" do you iron your clothes? The old fashioned iron/ironing board way, the shower, back in the dryer, etc.

I own an ironing board (2 of them actually) and a very nice Rowenta iron, but rarely does mine or my husband's clothes touch either one. My iron get's used mainly for my sewing projects. My dryer has this oh so fabulous wrinkle release setting, I used it daily ;) Is that cheating????

5. How much baking do you do for Christmas and what are your "must make" items? (I'm looking for recipes here, peeps...)

I tend to make lots and lots of cookies, buckeyes, fudge, and so on and so on. There are certain members of my husband's family that go CrAzY over my layer bars. . . . chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate, graham cracker crust, pecans, and toasted coconut with sweet condensed milk. . . . who wouldn't like that???!!! BUT, this year things are a little different, my sister is due to have a baby at anytime so baking has been put on the back burner as our Christmas plans are slightly up in the air. So this year I am making something new, a recipe I found on pinterest. Peanut Butter Cheese Ball

Ummmm... YUM!!!

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY HOLIDAY'S!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MYM ~ Diaper Clutch

Jamie over at Loving Life hosts this fabulous blog hop every week, Make Yourself Monday. There are 2 things you can do to participate, write a post about what you made yourself this past week (as in crafts, DIY, stuff like that) or you can write a post about what you are going to make of yourself this week, what goals you have for yourself? It really is a great blog hop and gives us chance to reflect on ourselves and what we want of ourselves. Here's the link to this weeks Make Yourself Monday , I highly recommend you check it out :) 

So, here is my MYM post. I've had a busy couple weeks in the sewing world. I've made a lot of bags. A couple zipper clutch bags, a tote bag and a kindle sleeve in addition to more Brown Bear, Brown Bear Cubes for my Etsy shop and that was just last weekend! This weekend however I decided to make something new, something I've never made before and I must say I am so very proud of myself for trying something new and actually being good at it! Ok, so what is this new thing you ask, why it's a diaper clutch. I've seen this pattern buried in my mom's sewing room since before Alex was even born but I always pushed it to the side with the "I can't make that" attitude. But a new good friend of mine and I went "fabric shopping" at my mom's house and she saw this pattern and immediately decdied she wanted one. Why not? We picked out some fabric, went home, and I got to sewing. I of course made one for myself first, I had to make sure I was able to make it so I didn't screw up hers. I am so excited to share this one with you all. . . . 

Ta-Da!

I LOVE this thing! It's so cute and it's perfect because I don't always want or need to carry around the whole diaper bag. Sometimes I only need a few diapers to take on our little outings. This bag is the perfect size for those little travel plastic wipe cases, a changing pad, and a couple extra diapers. Oh by the way, I made the changing pad too, it coordinated with the clutch, is quilted and completely 100% machine washable (a plus!) It has a removable wristlet for convenience too. This might be super handy to attach to a stoller or shopping cart handle. Another new thing that I taught myself was how to install a magnetic snap. I have always avoided them because for whatever reason I thought they would be difficult but OMG, so not the case, very simple and adds much more to a bag.

I was so excited that I was able to make this, I ended up making 2 more!

One for me, one for my good friend, and one for Etsy

New things are being added to Happy Heart's Etsy page this week. Love the Brown Bear, Brown Bear Sensory Cube? Be on the look out for The Very Hungry Catapiller, and Dr Suess, coming soon! Check it out! 

Happy Heart Etsy Shop

Just added. . . . . . . . . .

MYM ~ Diaper Clutch

Jamie over at Loving Life hosts this fabulous blog hop every week, Make Yourself Monday. There are 2 things you can do to participate, write a post about what you made yourself this past week (as in crafts, DIY, stuff like that) or you can write a post about what you are going to make of yourself this week, what goals you have for yourself? It really is a great blog hop and gives us chance to reflect on ourselves and what we want of ourselves. Here's the link to this weeks Make Yourself Monday , I highly recommend you check it out :) 

So, here is my MYM post. I've had a busy couple weeks in the sewing world. I've made a lot of bags. A couple zipper clutch bags, a tote bag and a kindle sleeve in addition to more Brown Bear, Brown Bear Cubes for my Etsy shop and that was just last weekend! This weekend however I decided to make something new, something I've never made before and I must say I am so very proud of myself for trying something new and actually being good at it! Ok, so what is this new thing you ask, why it's a diaper clutch. I've seen this pattern buried in my mom's sewing room since before Alex was even born but I always pushed it to the side with the "I can't make that" attitude. But a new good friend of mine and I went "fabric shopping" at my mom's house and she saw this pattern and immediately decdied she wanted one. Why not? We picked out some fabric, went home, and I got to sewing. I of course made one for myself first, I had to make sure I was able to make it so I didn't screw up hers. I am so excited to share this one with you all. . . . 

Ta-Da!

I LOVE this thing! It's so cute and it's perfect because I don't always want or need to carry around the whole diaper bag. Sometimes I only need a few diapers to take on our little outings. This bag is the perfect size for those little travel plastic wipe cases, a changing pad, and a couple extra diapers. Oh by the way, I made the changing pad too, it coordinated with the clutch, is quilted and completely 100% machine washable (a plus!) It has a removable wristlet for convenience too. This might be super handy to attach to a stoller or shopping cart handle. Another new thing that I taught myself was how to install a magnetic snap. I have always avoided them because for whatever reason I thought they would be difficult but OMG, so not the case, very simple and adds much more to a bag.

I was so excited that I was able to make this, I ended up making 2 more!

One for me, one for my good friend, and one for Etsy

New things are being added to Happy Heart's Etsy page this week. Love the Brown Bear, Brown Bear Sensory Cube? Be on the look out for The Very Hungry Catapiller, and Dr Suess, coming soon! Check it out! 

Happy Heart Etsy Shop

Just added. . . . . . . . . .