Weekend Hangs

This past weekend was a fun one - definitely one I will always remember! Brayden and I got to hang out a lot and I enjoyed it so much!

Although my "weekend" doesn't typically begin until work is over on Friday, we do work a shorter day. It's nice because the weekend begins sooner for me! 

I started my Friday morning off with a little Christmas Blend and Peppermint Mocha. I'm just ready for some real fall/winter weather. We've had a tease once or twice but nothing stuck around so far!

I'm also not so much a fan of pumpkin or pumpkin spice. Believe me, I've tried to like it but it's just not a favorite of mine. Now peppermint on the other hand...I'll take it! 

On Friday night, I ran a nice and easy 3 miles around my neighborhood and it was dark by the time I finished! I haven't seen the moon on a run in a LONG time! I didn't want to push the pace because we had a scheduled 6 mile run the following morning.

On Saturday morning, my friend Kim came over to watch Brayden so I could go for a run with Heather. The weather was humid and sticky but I hear a nice cool front is expected this upcoming weekend. (I sure hope so because I have another long run scheduled!)

The miles flew by so fast! I love running with a buddy! :)

After the run, I brought Starbucks home for Kim and I to enjoy breakfast together.

Brayden and I also took a mid-morning nap! :) Pixie, too! By the way, Pixie has done MUCH better on the medications she was given...I'm so thankful!

After Brayden woke up, we did a little Halloween photo shoot of him in his "first Halloween" outfit!

Believe it or not, my dogs actually did not mind this one bit...

Madalynn actually sat down exactly where I told her to and she stayed put! Poor Pixie is used to this game by now! In her mind, I'm sure she's thinking..."oh lordy, here my momma goes again..."

Luckily they know...when we behave, there's treats to follow! Haha!

On Sunday, we went to church and Monkey Brayden just couldn't help himself! :)

We just HAD to take a picture together because we matched! (I was in a Minnie mouse dress and he obviously wore Mickey!)

After church, we spent a good bit of time outside "swimming" in what I assume will be the last swim of the year (I hope...because that would mean that cold weather is staying for good)!

I also spent time doing things around the house, washing clothes (fun fun), and organizing! I love a good, slow paced weekend! :)

Have a great week!

6 Months, Pixie, and Walking Spree!

Another week has (almost) come and gone...yay Friday!! I know I've been absent a bit this week, but it's been a busy week with little time for the computer. Here's a thoughts for this Thursday!

#1 Brayden had his six month pictures on Friday. They were taken by the same photographer who did his newborns and she wanted to do a few "look back" pictures. Brayden was a little turkey during the shoot - he would smile for a few minutes, then I guess all the attention was too much....so the pouty lip would come out and he would start to cry. After a little consoling, we would move on to the next thing and get a few more pictures of him smiling...then the pouty lip would come out. It really was kind of funny and I'm glad he at least cooperated and smiled a little bit! I think he was overwhelmed by both of us trying to get his attention and get him to smile. She also has a Nikon and he lovvvves the sound of the shutter on mine...but he wasn't having it with hers. Silly kid. 

I just saw this preview this week...here's the "look back" of his Mickey and Friends set! 

It's AMAZING to see how much he's grown and changed in just 6 short months. And see...he's smiling! YAY!

Where his newborn shoot lasted a good three hours and he slept the entire time, this shoot lasted maybe 45 minutes (if that) which included a few pouty lips and some consoling! Haha! I'm interested to see what comes of the 1 year session and cake smash!

#2 Remember how I asked for prayers for Pixie last week? Well, she had her teeth cleaned on Thursday of last week which included an X-ray due to her coughing fits. My fears were confirmed - she does have a collapsing trachea. Apparently it's super common in Yorkies and it's a genetic disposition. The vet wanted to see if we could control it the least invasive way after the taper off her other meds (with benadryl), but the benadryl is not doing the job. I'm going to have to bring her back in today to see their thoughts. I honestly don't know much about this except the little bit I was told and some I've read off the internet. Has anyone ever had a dog with a collapsing trachea and how was it managed?

#3 The company I work for is doing a big push to encourage healthy behaviors. One of the newest is the introduction of Walking Spree. Basically, you connect the Walking Spree app to your fitbit (or other fitness devices) and it also keeps track of your daily steps. The challenge begins on October 17th and runs through November 17th. If you average a daily step count of either 6,000 or 8,000 steps, you get a certain amount of points added to your "bank". This bank is like a rewards program where you can pick and choose items/gift cards/watches/purses/tickets/etc depending on your point value. I have enough for an apple watch, but I'm waiting to see if they add the 2nd generation watch and how many points that one will be! YAY for easy points!! :)

Any ideas on Pixie? What's your favorite way to track your steps? 

Weekend Review

Congratulations to everyone who completed races at the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon, Half, and 10K this past weekend!! I loved following along with all of the updates on social media! Can't wait for next year! :)

This past weekend was a really nice and relaxing one and I enjoyed every minute of it. No schedule and nowhere to be (except church on Sunday)...I was in heaven!

The weekend began early on Friday as we were let off work a few hours earlier than normal. I took a nap, hung out with Jason and the puppies, then began working on craft things for the baby's room! Oh yes, and who can forget Fuller House?! (I loved the show, by the way...all of the episodes were consumed by Saturday night!)

Silly girls!

Adding a little Disney baseball to the nursery...while watching Fuller House of course! :)

I am so excited over the baseball paper I found!! Love it! The Mickey, Donald, and Goofy silhouettes  were framed in white frames and are waiting for display. I would like to have everything together before I begin hanging things in the room. I'm at a loss at what to put over the dresser...still trying to figure that one out in my head...

On Saturday, I pretty much stayed in my PJ's all day. Say what?! I haven't done that in...umm...ever...that I can remember! Despite my frumpy (yet comfortable) appearance, I got a lot of things accomplished around the house. Baby Seal's "accessories" are mostly together including the rocker/sleeper and car seat/stroller.  The car seat base and mirror are installed in my car, his clothes and blankets are washed, and his bag is mostly packed. I do have my personal packing list written so that's next to accomplish!

This corner of his room is where I began and I'm about halfway done. Doing all of these tasks from a mostly seated position really slows me down!

Pixie seemed to enjoy his rocker/sleeper, although she only stayed in for a few minutes. Poor girl has been my guinea pig for a lot of his items! She's been a very good sport, though!

Madalynn, on the other hand, assumed that these fluffy polar bear chest straps were her toys. Of course. We've had lots of serious discussions about Madalynn's toys vs baby brother's toys. I think those discussions went in one ear and out the other, though...as you can clearly see. :) What fun adventures lie ahead...hah!

Guinea Pig exhibit #2. She wasn't as big a fan of the car seat as she was the rocker/sleeper.  She still loves me, though! :)

I finished off Saturday evening by writing thank you notes! I do love thank you notes and feel like they are a dying tradition (sadly).

On Sunday morning, I stopped by our local CC's coffee house (Community Coffee...it's a southern staple) and had a king cake latte and about a third of this king cake cinnamon roll! I'd seen these cinnamon rolls on facebook and Mindy tagged me in a King Cake coffee picture the day before...so why not?! Besides, if I couldn't be in New Orleans, I figured I'd celebrate like I was there! :) It was fun to follow along with everyone's Rock n Roll NOLA progress while enjoying a taste of the city!

Oh yeah, and that cinnamon roll? It was the size of my hand!! I ate about a third of it, then brought the rest with me...it was huge! Definitely one of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had!

After church, I took another nap then had dinner with friends. Overall, it was a fun and much needed (on the relaxing side) weekend!

Y'all, TOMORROW makes a month until Baby Seal's due date! I can't believe it!! 

How was your weekend? Did you run any races? Hope you had a great one!! Happy Monday!

Happy Birthday, Pixie!

This past Sunday, my sweet little girl turned 7 years old.

As a celebration, I decided to bake a pet-friendly treat for both of my pups to enjoy.

I searched the internet and came across a website full of pet friendly holiday treat recipes. One recipe in particular stuck out to me, and that’s when Pixie’s special homemade birthday treat was born!

Pet Friendly Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
Adapted From: DogVacay.com/yourdogsdiner.com

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup olive oil
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
3/4 cup all purpose flour (I used unbleached)
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped, fresh cranberries (may use dried cranberries)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray mini muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.

Combine all wet ingredients (egg, honey, olive oil, and pumpkin) in a large bowl and mix well.

Combine all dry ingredients, mix well and add to wet mixture.

Stir in cranberries.

Spoon in muffin mixture into the mini muffin pan – mine made 16 mini muffins.

Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven or until muffins are brown on top. After 20 minutes, turn off oven and let cool in oven for one hour.

Take out of oven and cool to room temperature before
serving to your dog.

Top with peanut butter and serve!

May be stored in air tight container in refrigerator for one week or frozen in Ziploc bags.

Ingredients

Tools

Wet/Dry ingredients

Cranberries

Baked and ready for “icing”

Happy 7th Birthday, Pixie

These treats were LOVED by both doggies!

Madalynn even performed a few tricks (without my asking) to earn a treat!

I have to admit, I tasted a muffin and they were actually really good – not overly sweet! I could have eaten several and I think this would make a great breakfast muffin recipe!

DogVacay also has several other Holiday pet-friendly recipes for your pups to enjoy – check them out and see what you think!  They even have a recipe for “Dognog”! I love it!

Have you ever treated your pet on their birthday?