I can not believe how fast my hound can swipe a slice of pizza off the dinner table.
I bet I looked away for less then a minute and when I turned back it was gone.

Just like when you have kids, when it’s too quiet, you know they are up to no good.

How’s this for no good? While I was busy taking a bath, some one tried to eat the cable remote.

Dad is going to be so mad when he gets home.

Update -
Roxy was grounded to the kitchen for the entire night for chewing our remote. Dad came home three hours later and our smart pup knew she had none wrong. All he had to do was walk in the room with the chewed remote in his hand and she gave him “the look” the look that says, I am sorry daddy, I just couldn’t help myself.

On the top of my Christmas list this year is a Hamilton Beach® Eclectrics® All-Metal Stand Mixer . To be honest, I would really love it if my husband came home with one as an an early holiday gift for me this year.
A week or two before Christmas I spend an entire day making Kieflies with my mom, my aunt and my sister. It’s a family tradition that has been passed down from my great-grandmother to my grandmother and my mother and now to me and my sister. This is a holiday tradition that I truley love. I plan on passing it down to both of my daughters and I am sure my sister will be doign the same.I love the idea of our daughters spending a day together every year making Kieflies and talking about the tradition. I just know all the mixing would be much easier and it would save us a lot of time this year if I show up with an Eclectrics® Mixer. Let me tell you a little about the features on this mixer, they really are just incredible. It has 400 watts of power to mix even the toughest jobs like 9 dozen cookies. When we make the Kieflies, we make at least 9 dozen, or more. I think last year we ended up with about 12 dozen or so. That takes a lot of time and preparation and it would be so much easier if we used a Hamilton Beach® Mixer It also has a professional 2-way rotating head for thorough hands-free mixing and their high-performance electronics ensure constant power. The Hamilton Beach® Mixer is going to be a lifesaver for us! There are 12 settings on the mixer, a 4.5 quart locking stainless steel bowl and it’s a lot quieter than our current mixer. Which at times we have yell to talk over. Another thing is they offer a three year warranty! Three years is a long time, I mean you can’t wrong there.

Here is a recipe for Kieflies. It’s not my family recipe because that is a family secret, but it’s close enough:

3 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup sour cream (plus 2 tablespoons)
8 medium egg yolks
0 small lemon, rind of, grated (yellow part only)
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 lb butter (or 1/4 lb butter + 1/4 lb margarine where you don’t use all the margarine)

Filling
1 lb walnuts, shelled, and ground fine
8 egg whites
1 lb confectioners’ sugar

Mix flour and butter until mixture is like cornmeal.
Beat together sour cream, egg yolks, lemon rind and sugar, add to flour mixture.
Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Dough will have a satiny appearance and all the dough will come off your hands. Knead at least 20 minutes. The longer you work the dough the flakier the finished product will be. Do not cheat on kneading time. Pinch off pieces of dough no larger than a walnut and form into balls. Place balls side by side in a cake pan. Separate layers with wax paper. This should make about 85 balls.

Roll each ball into a 4” circle. Circles will be tissue paper thin. Use as little flour as possible to keep dough from sticking to pastry board. It is best to make a mixture of 6 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling the board.

Lay rolled out circles of pastry on a large tray just barely overlapping so they will not stick together. Use waxed paper between layers. When a dozen balls have been rolled, refrigerate the tray so dough does not become too soft. If this happens kieflies will not be attractive. It is easier to assemble if you roll out about 36 balls, fill and bake. All the balls may be rolled at one time, but keep pastry circles refrigerated until ready to fill. Work with only as many circles as will it an one cookie sheet at a time.

To assemble kieflies, place a semi-heaping tablespoon of filling across the middle of each circle, but not quite to the edge. Fold 1/3 of the dough over filling, overlapping about half way; fold the remaining 1/3 of the dough so it overlaps the first 1/3. Use a gentle hand when overlapping the filling so that when it bakes the filling will have room to expand. Shape the rolls into crescents, using thumbs and fingers. When forming the crescents the edges might curl up slightly. Do not try to smooth out the dough. To do so would not allow the dough to expand and become flaky.

Always place filled kieflies on a cool, ungreased cookie sheet. Bake no more than 1 sheet at a time. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake 10 to 12 minutes or only until lightly browned.
While kieflies are still warm generously coat with confectioners’ sugar by sprinkling it through a small sieve or shaker.

Getting ready for Halloween.
I think she has the “please give me treats” trick or treat look down.

I was going to go with the whole “witch” theme but Roxy decided to eat the hair out of this hat the day after I took this photo.
Good thing I saved her costumes from last year.

Roxy, doing her share to clean up the kitchen after breakfast.

Roxy is being so loving this morning. Maybe it is the chilly fall weather but she is just one big snuggle bug. Every time I even start to get up or walk away she pushes her nose on me for more loving. It’s really very sweet.

If you have done any comparing of the cost of dental plans lately, let me tell you about discount dental plans. I know how easy it is for a lot of people to not see the dentist when they really should because of the time it takes to find the right dental insurance. Going to the dentist is such an important part of life. I have seen what can happen to people when they don’t go to the dentist as they should for routine cleanings and check ups. Things can get pretty bad, really fast and no one would have to deal with that if they had the right information about discount dental plans for individuals and families.

Since 1999, DentalPlans.com has been an industry leader bringing individuals, families and groups affordable and comprehensive discount dental plans. Discover the many advantages of DentalPlans.com and see how we keep thousands of satisfied customers smiling. They are currently running a special offer. Join today and receive three additional months FREE! You can save ten to sixty percent on most dental services with plans starting at under eighty dollars per year. There are no paperwork hassles and they offer a thirty day refund policy. The process is very simple. Three easy steps can get you the dental care you need: search, compare and join. It really is just that easy. DentalPlans.com also issues a beginner’s guide to discount dental plans. You can choose from over thirty top-quality national and regional dental plans. Don’t hesitate. Visit DentalPlans.com today and make sure you have a bright, healthy smile for years to come.

Luckily we have dental insurance through my husbands employer that is pretty good, but we did go through a time when we didn’t have dental insurance and it would have been great to know about this service. That is why I’m sharing this information with you now because there are probably a lot of other families like ours that go through not having a dental plan. I hope that this helps someone else as much as it would have assisted us in our time of need.

I blame he “super power” of scent for a lot of the trouble Roxy gets in to.
I honestly think she just can’t help herself some times.

Last evening I left a bag of gifts from PetSmart for a friends dog on our dinning room table. Because there was no food in the bag, I really didn’t worry about it. I guess I underestimated her super smeller once again because I came down stairs this morning to dog toy stuffing all over the dinning room floor. 

Diabetes affects many lives; almost every person who isn’t diabetic knows someone who is. In the US alone there are over 21 million people with diabetes and many do not have health insurance.
American Diabetes Wholesale has joined the fight against diabetes- on the community, national and global levels, to help find a cure. American Diabetes Wholesale is a diabetic supply company that provides a 30-60% savings to people who do not have health insurance. If you or some one you know or love uses the Freestyle Lite Blood Glucose Monitoring System to monitor their diabetes, then you already know how important it is to have enough freestyle lite test strips on hand. American Diabetes Wholesale delivers them and any other products needed to manage diabetes, fast and affordable right to your door.

It’s been cold and rainy all day around here. The perfect weather for a nap.
I wish I home right now snuggling with my daughter and my hound, instead of sitting here behind a desk.

Roxy has been sneaking socks, a slipper and a couple of toys that belong to Allison and hiding them behind our living room chair. Nothing looked chewed up just her little stash for safe keeping I guess. Dogs are so funny.

I love media shopping on line. I love buying any accessories that are associated with my electronics such as DVD cases, I have huge stacks of blank Cd’s to record music for my car sitting on my desk right now. I am also a sucker for DVD-R’s. I can never have too many. I try to shop for Taiyo Yuden Recordable DVD and Cd’s because I have discovered that they are the best of the best. I love finding great stores on line that carry them.
Because I work all day, being able to shop on line is really important to me. My new place to shop is Supermediastore.com, they have everything I like to shop for, blank CD and DVD media, CD DVD packaging case, computer hardware, memory, ink and even toner cartridges. They are truly a one stop shop for us geeks. It doesn’t get much easier then that.

I swear she can hear him coming a block away.

Gerry and I are planning on doing a lot of remodeling to our house this year. I am thinking we will start with both of our bathrooms some time over this winter. I would really love to have them both done by the beginnign of spring. So I’ve been comparing quality and prices of every type of faucet I can find on the web.
I think my husband and I both agree that Moen faucets seem to be the best faucets we can find any where. Faucet.com makes shopping really easy. They even have an extremely helpful buying guide for both bathroom and kitchen faucets which has been a lifesaver for us.
So far Moen Monticello is our favorite choice for the bathroom we are talking about redoing first. I am really looking forward to having both bathrooms done. Just by adding Moen faucets is really going to dress them both up. Then we’ll be moving on to the next room, like the kitchen.

We love to spend time up north. We love the fresh air, the lake and most of all the peace and quiet. We have a lot of friends and family that spend time in the same area that we go to every year. Most of them bring their dogs along. I would LOVE to be able to bring Roxy with us but I have yet be able to control her massive loud barking fits and I know others that are up there for the peace and quiet would not like that very much. So that is my winter goal! To be able to control her barking enough to be able to to bring her along with us when we open up the place in the spring.

Any tips?????

There is nothing better than a girl and her hound.

Just wanted to send a bark and a great big arrooo out to the Beautiful Sophie,

the newest pooch on Roxy’s dog roll.

Most people from time to time could use a little help when it comes to money. Pretty much every one I know has applied for at least one or two personal loans.
Some times money is really needed for just a few days before payday, that is way there are Payday loan companies . They make it easy to get the help you need to make your ends meet. Even if it’s a Cash advance loan to hold you over until you get paid. It’s that easy.

Roxy is back on her leash for the evening.
She was having a major jumping and barking issue.

As soon as I attach the leash she mellows right out like magic.

I love it that Roxy is always waiting at the top of stairs for me.

I swear this hound can tell time and knows when I am headed to bed.

NJAFA is an animal welfare non-profit group based in Southern New Jersey, mainly the Camden area.
As an advocate and to educate people about the importance of spaying or neutering your pet. They raise funds and arrange for Camden City, NJ pet owners to get their animals altered for the families that need the help. They also will take in and aid abused, neglected and abandoned animals throughout the rescue process. You can count on them for including medical and training if it’s required.

You can follow NJAFA and get up to date information on the internet by bookmarking their web site, blog and they are even on Myspace.

If you are an animal lover, you will want to support NJAFA! They are there to help when the help is really needed.

These are so going on my Christmas list!

Cinderella

A pilgrim Princess

I need to get out and start shopping for this year!

I think every family has it’s issues. Most have at least one or two people that could use a little or more then a little help dealing with things. Those people that have turned to drugs or alcohol and can’t seem to find their way back. I know I have seen it in our family. I have an uncle that has battled with alcohol for most of his adult life. It has landed him jail more then once and has cost him jobs and relationships throughout the years.If only we could talk him in to alcohol rehab and help him see what a positive impact it would have on his life.
It does help to know that there are wonderful places out there to help, like Watershed. I have read only good things about their drug abuse and alcoholism treatment and how Watershed can be viable and affordable solution.  What a gift to so many families!

this is a sponsored post.

Late last night Roxy jumped out of her bed and started barking at the wall. I looked up and above my bed, where she was at was a huge spider. How a spider crawling around on the wall woke her, I can’t imagine but she kept her eye on it while I got up and found a shoe to smash it with.

Thank you Roxy, spider hunter ! Way to go girl.