Mocha the Menace

It's been nearly a year since I've even thought about posting to this blog. Just goes to show you how time flies when life gets a bit crazy. Among other things I've been spending a good chunk of brain power trying to figure out how to keep our new puppy Mocha from destroying our house and yard.

She's part border collie. Part crazy.

Since joining us a few months ago Mocha's peed on every throw rug in the house, dug countless trenches under the fence so she can go "visit" the neighbors dogs and has eaten anything she can swipe when we're not looking: a 5-pound bag of jelly beans, donuts fresh out of the oven and a pair of 2-hundred dollar headphones.

Our other border collie mix, Roxy, was also a handful when she was little but Mocha seems even more determined to cause trouble.

Thank goodness Mocha's so cute and brings it down several notches at night or she just might not be 

 here one morning!

Old Blooms

Old daffodils from the garden. A previous owner planted them long before anyone even heard of the internet.

Worth Stopping For

One of my favorite places to shop is a tiny little store down River Road in Potomac, Maryland. Our first few years in town, I drove by this place countless times before I finally pulled over one day. When I stepped into Flora's Feathered Nest that first time I thought, "WTF hadn't I stopped here before!". It's that good. Think Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and your favorite antique store all mashed up into one irresistible shop.

Slapping stuff on the walls...

Dreary outside but uplifting inside my home office...some words of inspiration to kick off February.

Bring on the bling...

Dreaming about the chandelier I'm going to put over our bed...someday.

Pepto-Bismol Pink

I'm a smart shopper. Still, I've still made some unfortunate purchases over the years. Jeans so tight I could barely sit down, a black summer skirt I didn't realize was see thru until I was standing in front of my bedroom mirror on a very sunny day and a can of Pepto-Bismol pink spray paint. While I won't hesitate to return pricey clothing I'm not going to run over to Lowe's to return a can of 4-dollar paint.

So, I put the can on a shelf months ago and forgot about it until boredom set in over the holiday break. I decided to pair the paint with something else I didn't know what to do with: a paper mache giraffe's head I received as a gift years ago.  I tired hanging it up on a wall once, but it was so realistic looking it gave me the creeps. Now, it's as cute as can be coated in puke perky pink.  So, adorable I added it to a gallery wall in Natalia's playroom.

Giraffe: a gift
Spray paint: Valspar, Satin, 85020 Thistle Field
Linen cork board: old HomeGoods purchase
Picture: HomeGoods frames, pictures from last year's Florida vacation

You can't eat just one...

Simply Addictive Croutons

Preheat oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Break up chunks of a French baguette (fresh or day old) and place in a large bowl.

-Drizzle (or drench) with olive oil.
-Add shredded Parmesan.
-Finish off with some ground cracked pepper.

-Spread out bread mixture on a baking sheet.
-Cook for about ten minutes or golden (be sure not to burn the croutons).

Toss croutons into a salad, sprinkle into a bowl of  tomato soup or enjoy them as a late night snack. Store any extras in a glass container with a lid. Best to finish croutons off within a week. But if you're like me, you'll probably finish them off in a day!

A little holiday cheer...

 Straight No Chaser performing the "Christmas Can Can" - not the kind of holiday song that puts you to sleep - the kind that makes you grin 'til your face hurts. 

      

A craft you can squeeze in before breakfast...

I added a few more holiday decorations to the house this week, including a craft so easy a kindergartner could do it...

Simply, Mod Podge a printed holiday saying to a painted white wood board and you're done.

The Dreaded Delivery Man...

Roxy's one of the friendliest dogs you'll ever meet. But if you have drive a big brown truck it's best to stay off our street. The second Roxy hears the UPS truck turning into our neighborhood she goes ballistic. And when she sees it driving down our block she throws her 85-pound body at the living room window hoping sooner or later it will break giving her easy access to her arch enemy.  For some reason she can't stand the guy. Not sure if she's just protecting our neighbors from the strange man who runs up to their house with large objects in his hands or if she just hates his outfit. Funny, she doesn't seem to mind the Fed Ex dude...must be the uniform.

Holiday Obsession...

It's official. I've turned into one of those moms who pulls out Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving dinner is even over. By the time anyone helped themselves to a second plate of turkey last week I had already planned out the holiday look in my head then dressed up the house the very next day. Good thing I'm not into blowup Santas or our front yard would be nothing but plastic...