Eyes on Red Velvet

Whatcha looking at?
Oh yeah...creepy eyeballs....
Eyeballs gross me out...they've always have.
I really don't know when they became creepy,
but I don't like anything that has to do with them.
Maybe it's because I don't see well.
Maybe it's because I think that I'll go blind....someday.
Or maybe it's because a doctor that I worked with loved to show me eyes...yeah, that's probably it.

When I was in high school, the vet clinic that I worked at was always trying to gross me out with eyes.  There were many things to tease me about. In fact, one of the veterinarians actually sewed an eye into a tumor that was removed, to gross me out!  He even added eyelashes! Actually, it was the eyelashes that made me not feel nauseous. :0P  Somehow, all of the eyeball jokes helped to ease my queasiness that I felt for them.  So much so that when my niece wanted to make eyeball cupcakes for Halloween, I actually thought it would be cool.  A gross kind of cool, but cool nevertheless.

 

Red Velvet Eyeball Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

2.5 cups flour
1.5 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cocoa powder
1.5 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 oz red food coloring
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

**Set aside vinegar and soda...you'll add this right at the end.

Frosting:

- 7 ounces marshmallow cream

- 1/2 cup butter softened

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

- 2-3 tablespoons milk

1. Prepare two muffin trays by lining them with cupcake liners.
2.Sift all dry ingredients- twice.

3. Whisk all wet ingredients together until it's really lovely and red :0)

4.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Now, the magic...mix the vinegar and baking soda...bubble, bubble...then add it into the batter.  This will make the cupcakes moist and fluffy. 
6. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes. 

7. While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting.  I used my Marshmellow Frosting...Yumma!

Frosting:


 

1. Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Add extra milk if necessary to get the correct consistency. And YES, we lick the spoon, or knife rather, in this house. :0)

2. Frost cooled cupcakes.
3. Add red frosting gel....purchased.  Yes, I took the easy way out.  Then add the creepy part...chocolate eyeballs. 

Put all of the eyes together and blah...             

eyeball madness!!! Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Bar Muffins

I love pumpkin!  And I mean LOVE PUMPKIN! Sweet little pumpkins, Pumpkin pie, Pumpkin scones, Pumpkin latte', Pumpkin...pumpkin...pumpkin...even adorable Pumpkin, my friends' kitty-cat. It's Fall, and pumpkin is a staple in my cupboard, in my fridge, on my porch and in my muffins. Perfect way to live, right?! I sure think so... that's why I needed to combine two of my favorite pumpkins...muffins and bars. :0)   Pumpkin Bar Muffins Adapted from Paul's Pumpkin Bars Ingredients: 4 eggs 1 2/3 cups white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.	Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
2.	In a stand mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until mixed well.
3.	Fill muffin tins evenly with batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven. Watch closely after 15 minutes so that you don't over bake them.
4.	Need a little something extra on your muffin? You could always make cream cheese frosting and add it to the top, but then I'd have a difficult time justifying it for breakfast.  ;0)  But, heck, go for it!  I won't tell anyone, if you don't tell anyone that I LOVE to add frosting to mine...or at least a pat of butter.  Deal?  Yummy!

I'm a cliche'-Part Two

On my quest of Portlandia self-discovery,
I have realized that I too love to find new things to pickle and can.
Pickles...
Salt and vinegar...
When I was little, I thought that my mom was a bit nutty.
She loved anything with a little salt and vinegar...
...expecially with it was on a chip or used to pickle.

If my mom could find a way to pickle mustard,

then that would be the perfect pickled item.

She lo-o-o-o-ves mustard as much as pickles.

Is she gets desperate for some pickled mustard,

she can head over to the Portlandia website

and the We Can Pickle That! application.

You can pickle anything and it doesn't even mess up your kitchen!

 

No surprise...I pickled a bit this summer....

 Beets for Momma...

  Pickles...Duh!

 

Onions...I know, strange, but they came highly recommended

from the Farmer's Market.

Murphy would love a little bit of pickled cat! 

Gross, I know...but it's really true.

Cats are his nemesis...

He'd like them better in a jar and spiced up with herbs.

Nowzad- Helping to Reunite Soldier's & Dogs

I couldn't love this more! In my goal of spreading awareness of charities that do AMAZING WORK for pets and their humans, here is one of my favorites.  Pets provide comfort in all situations and for our soldiers in other countries, pets not only provide comfort, but a sense of home.  We can all help them with continuing that family unit when they return to the United States.

 

Murphy and I are a bonded pair.  I would be devastate to leave Murphy somewhere and not know if I would EVER see him again.  Will you help me reunite these bonded pairs? 

 

 

Nowzad's Mission

"To relieve the suffering of animals, predominantly strays and abandoned dogs in need of care, attention and to maintain rescue facilities for the care and treatment of such animals, especially the animals of Afghanistan.

In January 2011, after many months of hard toil, Nowzad opened the very first and only officially recognized animal shelter in Afghanistan. To date Nowzad has reunited more than 200 soldiers from all over the world with their much loved adopted cats and dogs and we continue to be inundated with rescue requests on a daily basis.

As well as rescuing soldiers pets we also assist the local people by way of providing vaccinations for their cats and dogs and education on how to care for their pets. We meet a lot of Afghans each week who care deeply for their pets and are thrilled to bits that there is finally a place they can take their pets to show them off and have them vaccinated against disease and neutered."

Poppy's Story
Nowzad

"Spina [Pashto for 'white'] and Poppy turned up in the summer of 2012 on a gravel helicopter pad at a military base in southeastern Afghanistan, in Paktia province near the Pakistani border. When the puppies joined a small pack of dogs that already inhabited the LZ, they appeared to have been only recently weaned, and out on their own for the first time.

Spina came first, in early July. She was first spotted hiding under a parked military truck. She was very timid at first, and it soon became obvious that she was suffering from a bad case of conjunctivitis - there was so much pus draining from both eyes that she could barely see, and consequently she hesitated to leave the shelter of the truck. A few doses of antibiotic eyedrops kept on hand by an experienced contractor swiftly cured her. Within days she was gamboling about the helipad, teasing the older dogs and scrounging table scraps from the Gurkha security guards at the adjacent contractor facility. When she sliced open her left foreleg on some of the ubiquitous razor wire around the base perimeter, the medic sewed up the wound.

Poppy joined the pack in mid-August, just about the time that its patriarch died. 'Bohtey' [Nepalese for 'big guy' was a fierce-looking but friendly old dog to whom Poppy bore a striking resemblance. Poppy appeared to be a few weeks younger than Spina, but grew rapidly and soon overtook the white puppy in size. The two became fast friends and playmates, chasing each other and their elders across the LZ, lounging around the compound's heavy steel gate and occasionally trying, without success, to sneak inside in pursuit of their favorite humans. The contractors' security team was as happy to see Poppy as they were saddened by the loss of her presumed father. The base security chief described the helipad dog pack as 'a great early warning system.'

With their NATO-backed project drawing down, the contractor facility is set to close in a few months. Moreover both pups were close to sexual maturity, raising the prospect they would breed even more pups to be abandoned in Afghanistan ... always a cruel fate. So one autumn day, a contractor scooped them up -- not without some reluctant squirming and two chewed-through leashes -- and sent them on the 3 hour road trip to the Nowzad shelter.

Poppy wants to stay with Spina and go home to America. Their contractor is going to fund the cost of getting Spina home from his own pocket but in order to be able to keep these gorgeous girls together we need your help to fund Poppy. Please spread the word about these girls and consider a small donation to help them on their way home!"

http://www.nowzad.com/

Yellow Dog Project- Curious?!

Good.  Be curious. 

Want to know new things...expand your knowledge base. 

Today, I learned something new too.

Did you know that October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month? 
Best month of the year to change the life of a pet! 
Actually, every month is the best month, but heck, I'll pick any month to encourage adoption.
It's the best decision that I've made...each time...every time.
I love my shelter, abandoned, abused...
amazing...loving...joyful...best friend a girl could ask for. 

Shelter dogs are the best, but sometimes they come with baggage...but don't we all have a little baggage to carry?  Murphy is constantly teaching me new things, and today I found a way that I can help others understand him.

I can't even express how much I love this idea. 
Murphy has always been scared of new people...especially if those new people reach for him. 
He doesn't trust people easily. (Which I totally support...trust is giving too easily sometimes.)
In fact, it takes a very, VERY long time and it takes a very patient person to wait for him to be ready for new hands.  Murphy's best friend IO, and her human best friend, Kathy, met with us for play dates for about 5 months before he asked her for a pet.  Yes, five....months.  Fortunately, she knew this and waited...and waited...extremely patiently for him to be ready.  Now, he asks for pets every time. 

Believe me, the wait is worth it, but most people aren't willing to put in the time. 
Plus, they feel that EVERY dog should love them.  Immediately.
Murphy is not every dog, he's a Murph.

It's really difficult to explain to people that he needs space because most people think that he should be super friendly and love them.  I try to explain to people that it's not about THEM, it's about the comfort of my dog...some people get it...some don't....and some are just idiots.  Nevertheless, it's my job to protect my Murphy and now here's another way to communicate that to others...a yellow ribbon. I wanted to make him a vest, and I still might, but now I have an organization to promote, that is trying to get the word out too.

We're a great pair and I love him unconditionally and he loves me unconditionally back. 
Murphy is a shelter dog. He has issues...but so do I. 
He has a yellow ribbon. 
I need one too...There are many days that I need some space. 
Now, I just need to spread the word and inform people. 
Boom.  Done.  :)

Remember, if I were talking about a child, people wouldn't look at me so bizarre about a stranger touching a child. Ever heard of "Stranger Danger"? Well, my dog obviously has...strangers = danger.

So if you see a yellow ribbon on a dog, you know what to do.  Give the dog some space, and please, please...don't glare.  Especially if the owner reminds you that their dog needs space...this happens to me.  Don't act like the dog will attack you.  Just walk on normally and allow the owner to do their work.  By you just acting like a normal person, it will help the dog.

Just this small act can help a shelter dog trust humans in this crazy world.  We all need help through the crazy, don't we?

Happiness...the Pursuit of Sparkle

Happiness...the Pursuit of Sparkle

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"  ~Declaration of Independence~

I just finished a great documentary, entitled "Happy."

Fascinating. 
Intriguing really. 
It got me thinking about my happiness.

It's an interesting pursuit...happiness.  Sometimes I look around myself and wonder if the people around me are happy.  So much of our lives are stressful.  But is that stress necessary?  Or even real?  Do we add that stress ourselves?  Or is it thrust upon us? Do people actually like feeling that way?

Or...Do we just need to look at the situation in a different light? 
Or change our expectations?

What is happy anyway? 
Work? Money? Family? Friends? Nice House? Cars? Fancy vacations?

I guess it's different for everyone...but for me, the things that make me happy are really simple.  Always have been.  I'm not saying that more of those things wouldn't be nice.  But it's not everything to me.

Actually, it's a matter of perspective...

• I have a great job, that gives me sufficient money...
• Friends and family, well, they rock. 
• I love my little cottage house...totally happy there.  Sure it's little, but heck, I can clean the whole thing in a hour.  Boom! Done...and I really don't like cleaning.  I'd rather bake.  Actually, I clean so that I can bake.
• Car?  Eh....I don't really care, though I like my car just fine.  It provides me with a great drive and Murphy with enough room to ride in style...head out the window, tongue wagging the the wind....That's pure JOY!
• Ahhh...fancy vacations..."Hello, Darling...Spas, expensive dinners, elite shows, and exclusive resorts..."  Well, shoot...I'm not fancy, so there goes that!  Now, I'm not going to turn any of that down if it was given to me! But, give me a cool, sunny day on the Oregon coast, a scone with a vanilla latte', and I'm a happy girl.

I know... I'm pretty simple at the heart of it.

I face each day as a new challenge. A challenge to keep the elusive "happy" that seems to slip away from some peoples lives. What might cause me joy one day, may not bring me joy the next. Fortunately, I have many things that bring me joy, so I can change my focus numerous times to adjust my sight onto something that helps me gain perspective...insight...happiness...thus, SPARKLE.

Today, like most days, I found my sparkle in something simple. 

A pile of leaves and a dog looking for a mole.

Now, I challenge you. I want to know the simple things that make your world happy.  Send me a message, post a comment, but I want a sparkle list.  It's selfish really...I have a feeling that there might be a day when I need a new view...a new focus to bring my sparkle back.

So...Will you help me? What is your sparkle? Your happy?

Sparkle Chit-Chat and Soup

Each year my friends and I try to do
something different for birthdays. 
So this year we are planning events
or activities to celebrate the new candle on our cake.

To start our September birthday girl off right into the 35 year old world, we met up at The Wine Cellar for wine, chit-chat, and a soup cooking class.  In reality, the chit-chat was the most important thing of the night, then wine, and we kind of made a little soup in the process. 

Of course, we are professional chit-chatters,

so we can multi-task,

but I was a bit concerned with the large knives and wine combo.

Somehow we managed to not lose any fingers or any blood, so for me it was a successful cooking night.  I generally use a smaller knife since I have been known to slice myself....but tonight, I was fine.
 
Thank goodness we had a teacher that led us through the process and join in the chit-chat too.
 Kristi was a natural with that chopper. 
If you don't have one, you should pick one up because it helps to release some stress.
Pow! Pow! Bang!
After using that, I felt much better about everything. :0)



Some serious cutting for Sara, our birthday girl, and Kelly.

Yum! Look at that menu for Friday and Saturday night! 

We're definitely going back for a little more wine and chit-chat...

I'll leave the knife skills to someone else that night.  ;0) 

Tonight though, we're enjoying some warm comfort. 
Soup, wine, and most importantly my dear friends...I couldn't ask for anything better than that.

The Wine Cellar
525 NW Saltzman Road
Portland, OR 97229
503.643.5655