Sometimes and Always

I have recently started reading Megan's blog, and she does this link up for something called Sometimes and Always.  So I thought I would give it a try! 

Sometimes the kitten drives me nuts with her shenanigans

Always I don’t regret getting her cause she's so darn cute

One of her better moments - scratching Ryan's shorts instead of climbing the curtains

Sometimes I feel like I should eat healthier

Always I say yes to dessert

 Sometimes I actually clean my house

Always I feel like I should be cleaning my house

Sometimes Coffee makes my stomach hurt

Always I keep drinking it anyways

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 So that's it, my first Sometimes and Always

Oh I forgot one...

Sometimes I should be studying for the tax exam I have in a week

Always I am procrastinating by blogging



Thanks to Jasmine for helping me figure out how to get this nifty button onto my blog!


 

Opie

We lost a member of our family on Thursday night.  Our Schnoodle Opie died.  He had been having heart troubles for a couple weeks, but we didn't realize that he would go so soon.

We have to be thankful because he didn't suffer for long and his body knew enough to give out on it's own.  Most animals can't do that.  He died in the laundry room, which was his room and safe place. 

He was an amazing dog and an important part of our family.  Always happy to see us when we walked in the door.  He loved to beg for food even though it upset his tummy.  He loved women, especially my mom and grandma.  He never chewed anything except for his toys.  And his biggest joy in life was going for car rides. 

His favourite words were walk, Grandma, car ride, cheerio and poodle treat.  He liked treats and snoozin, snoozin and treats.  He had a tendency to take over your bed at night.  He would start at the bottom and work his way up.  By morning he was on your pillow and you were pushed to the side.  When he was excited, he would run in "Opie circles".  Laps around the living room and kitchen, usually stopping at his basket to grab a toy on the way by.

He had his issues.  He suffered from severe separation anxiety.  Every time we left he thought we were never coming home.  And he had some food guarding issues.  He was always thinking we were gonna eat his food on him!  But these made him unique, and unique he was!  Up until a couple weeks before he died you never would have known that he was an 11 year old dog.  He was still running around and playing as if he was a pup.

Life is so much more joyful with a dog.  They love you unconditionally, and are always happy to see you.  When you are sick or sad, they just know and they cuddle with you.  They are a constant companion.  I feel emptiness now that he's gone.  I can't believe he won't ever wag his tail at me again or paw me at the dinner table. 

We loved him, and he loved us. 

Opie

May 14, 2001-May 24, 2012

Gingers

From some random website

May 24

May 24 has always been a very exciting weekend.  Traditionally, the whole family goes up to our cottage and all of the dads and kids go on a two day canoe trip while the women have a girls night.  Everyone doesn't get up to the cottage on the same weekends anymore very often, so it's a very special weekend.  This May 24 was awesome because I think it was the hottest long weekend of all time.  Yes ever.  In the history of the world.

This year, I decided not to go on the canoe trip, but Ryan went instead. He went along with his friend Kyle and our ring bearer extraordinaire.  There are about 15 others that went on the trip this year as well.



It's 5 o'clock somewhere



You missed a spot



Somebody got a pedicure before the trip....surprisingly she came back with it still looking good!



Heading down the River

Once the men were gone, the women headed up to Owen Sound.  We did a little bit of shopping and then stopped at Keefer falls for a quick look.

Then we made it over to Meaford where we took a look at Georgian Bay.  The sky and the water were basically the same colour and it looked pretty neat.

For dinner we went to Ted's Range Road diner.  You would never go in if you were just driving by because it's in a Kwanzaa hut.  But the food is delicious.  They have stuff like alligator, kangaroo, elk, and bison on the menu.  There is nothing like it and it's a real treat to get to go.

I went big this year and went for the Kangaroo.  I really wasn't expecting it to be very good, but I wanted to be able to say that I had tried it.  But it was amazing! Like steak but a bit sweeter.



Ted's Wall Menu



The night ended with What to Expect When You're Expecting.  It was a good movie.  Funny, sad, happy.  It had a little bit of everything.  I even cried at one point!

The next day we received the call that they were done canoeing and we headed out to pick them up.  It was a gorgeous weekend and perfect canoe trip weather.  They all seemed to have a good time.  I think K-Dawg learnt a few things as well.  He informed me that they saw a blue pterodactyl on the trip! Known to the rest of the world as a blue heron.

Oh and Tali and I also did yoga poses in the lake at sunset.  Cause we're sweet like that and wanted to see if it would turn out.  Some might call us dorksticks, but our mom thinks we're cool.  Okay, maybe even she thinks we are dorksticks.

Overall it was a great weekend.  It was so nice to get away for a few days and just relax in the sun.  I tried to work on my bridesmaid dress tan, but I was unsuccessful, so I guess a few more weekends on the deck will be needed.

Big Girls Don't Cry

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read this if you haven't seen and plan to see How I Met Your Mother, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Glee or Desperate Housewives

This is always a sad time of year.  The time when TV shows must come to an end and take a summer vacation.  Leaving us nothing to watch except for Big Brother when it starts up in July. 

Finale week has come to an end, and with it, most of the shows that I watch.  Only a few remain.  However I have yet to shed a tear.  This is abnormal for me.  Usually commercials can get me in tears, so Grey's Anatomy usually has me bawling on the couch.  



But no, I did not cry when Marshall and Lily's baby Marvin Waitforit Erikson was born.  I had a  glistening tear during Desperate Housewives.  But considering all that happened in the episode and that it was the end of an era and I will never again have it to watch on Sunday nights, I should have been devastated.  I didn't cry when Amelia's brainless baby was born on Private Practice.  No crying when Glee won Nationals, something we have waited three seasons for.  And Grey's.  Last night is when I noticed this issue that I was having.  Lexie Grey is killed off, one of my favourite characters, the person I assumed would take over for Meredith when Ellen Pompeo decided she had enough of the series, and not a tear.  I find it concerning.  My eyes are broken.   



Pinterest

On the upside, we have some good cliff hangers this year.  As much as I hate it, I also love when a show leaves us wanting desperately to know what's going to happen, and so far all have been successful.  I still have Criminal Minds to watch (we are about 3 weeks behind).  Maybe the tears will be flowing for that one,  but considering the subject matter of that show, I doubt it.

Pinterest



Making an Old Kitchen New Again

Our circa 1982 house came with a circa 1982 kitchen.  Oak cabinets, and I believe something known as Beige Onyx counter top. (My uncle in the kitchen business says that there were basically 2 counter tops in the 80’s, our kitchen counter top in beige, and the same thing in a green, which just happens to be what’s in our bathroom!).  Issue: We can’t exactly afford a brand new kitchen, and we don’t want to spend too much money putting in a kitchen that isn’t going to get us through the next 20 years.  So, we decided to make a few adjustments.

Lucky for me, Ryan works for said uncle and has some major kitchen creating capabilities.  This really helps out when you are trying to keep costs low.

Here is a before picture of our kitchen.  I can't seem to find a picture of the wall with the stove and the fridge.  1500 house pictures and no pictures of that side of the kitchen.  I have failed.

First we made a few big changes.  We took out that peninsula and turned it against the wall.  We did the same with the overhead cabinets.  We also got a new counter top.

                             

We wanted to work with the cabinets that we had, so we just restained them to freshen them up.  Although they were washed ahead of time, the nicotine damage to them was too severe and the stain bubbled off of the cabinets.  Unfortunately this is the way it will stay for now.  When you stand at certain angles you can't tell!

 We also chose new handles that weren't 30 years old.  They make a big difference.

This side of the kitchen is completely new.  Because there was only a 24" stove there before and the fridge was a different size as well, nothing really fit together.  So Ryan took out all of the old cupboards from this side and moved them around to different parts of the kitchen.  So these cupboards don't have any of the issues that the other ones did!

We went with track lighting since the light that Ryan hated didn't work out.  It is much brighter and works perfectly.

There is so much more counter space now.  We can both work comfortably in the kitchen without getting in each others way.

Ryan also built the microwave shelf to give us some extra room on the counter.  He's super handy.

Oops, excuse the mess.  We try to keep this organized, but sometimes it just doesn't work.  This section was added on to the end of the counter and had to be angled so that it didn't feel too cramped when walking through to the door.  We use it for bread, keys, and my lunch box mostly.  There is clearly also some other miscellaneous junk on it right now.

We are really happy with the overall result.  There is a lot more room and it seems pretty fresh considering that the cupboards are still original to the house.  Moving the peninsula really opened up the room.  And we actually have more cupboard space then we know what to do with! What more can a girl ask for.

Sockless

The Pipster when to the vet yesterday to have her stitches removed from her spay.  That means that she is finally free of the sock she has been wearing since we got her.

Guess what, she has a white spot on her back!  (The sock had covered it up, this is news to us).

  And she's cuter than ever.

And we love her.  (Even Ryan)

She also has an umbilical hernia.  The vet made it sound serious.  I'm really hoping it isn't.  Those vets have a way of exaggerating and talking a lot of nonsense that you don't understand.  Little girl is gonna need some more surgery though.  But we are trying to just focus on her cuteness. 

Oreo Cheesecake Deliciousness

I found this yummy looking recipe on Pinterest for little Oreo Cheesecakes.  And since I just bought a bag of Oreos I thought Mother's Day was the perfect occasion to try them out!


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 Not my picture but mine looked the same! We just ate them up before I took pictures

The recipe is fairly straight forward and easy to make.  And the little cheesecakes are the perfect size for a treat.  Portion control people.  Except that once you eat one, eating a second is very tempting. 
I halfed the recipe and only made 15 of them.  This is the original recipe.

42 Oreos, 30 whole, 12 chopped
2 lbs cream cheese (which is slightly more than 4 packages, I used a double package plus a couple spoonfulls from another package)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray with non-stick spray.  Place one whole oreo cookie in the bottom of each liner.

Beat on medium high the cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually add sugar and beat until combined.  Beat in vanilla and then beat in eggs a bit at a time.  Add in sour cream.  Beat all til combined, scraping down side of bowl as needed.  Stir in chopped Oreos by hand. 

Divide batter into muffin cups.  You can fill almost to the top.  Bake for 22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set.  Cool completely.  Refridgerate for at least 4 hours.  I left mine in for the whole day.  Remove from tins just before serving.

A Bouncing Baby Girl!

Tonight we welcomed this little girl into our family.

Her name is Pipsi.  Ryan calls her Paul.  That name is a no go.  She was born March 4, making her almost 10 weeks old.  I think we are really going to like her. 

I went to the Humane Society on Tuesday, just to check things out.  And Pipsi and her mama, brother and sister were there.  Unfortunately for me, adoption hours were already over.  So I headed back on Wednesday.  I got to hold her.  She was very scared, but I think she will warm up to us.  Ryan had to meet her before I was allowed to bring her home.  So I went back with him tonight.  Then we brought her home and the family came to visit.  She was scared. 

 Looks like Tali told her off and then she climbed all over Brady.

 She really likes hanging out on shoulders...

And blogging

Now we are hangin on the couch watching The Real Housewives of Vancouver. 

Life is good.