Weekendlies: Puppies & Pumpkins

1. Sugar pumpkins in my tea.
2. Gingerbread >Mint Mojito. At least in terms of iced coffee.
3. She needs to get out more.
4.  Seasonal stump.
5.  Leafy paradise.
6. A still moment.
7. Sup, Sunday.
8. Lap dogs.
9. Puppy infestation.

Linking up with Carissa!

More Weekending

 1. The Civil Wars seems to be a good soundtrack to autumn.

2. Neighborly palms.

3. Indian Summer afternoon.

4. San Mateo Wine Walk. Check. 

5. Lockdown. Again. 

6. This makes me excited for January.

7. Sup, it's Sunday. 

8. Winston.

9. Sky party shutting it down.

PinterPuppy Kitchen

Let's talk.

Somebody had a birthday last week.

Her name is Mylie.

And she is the cutest 8 year old you'll ever meet.

At least, the cutest 8 year old on 4 legs you'll ever meet.

My cute blog friend April, blogged about some homemade dog treats she made for Mylie's blog-dog crush, Hewitt.

It doesn't get much easier than the recipe she used!

So, birthday girl Mylie was in for quite a treat.

Literally.

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 tbsp natural peanut butter. 
(Mix, Roll, Cut, Bake on greased cookie sheet 400* 15-20 min)

I headed to the store, and stocked up on the purest form of these ingredients that I could.

I've never made anything for Mylie myself, so I wanted to take every precaution possible.

Just in case.

I want another 8 years with her.

See the labels?

Super simple ingredients.

Mylie is used to me being in the kitchen baking.

I have a galley kitchen, so she always plops herself right there at the doorway.

She had no idea what she was about to experience.

I mixed.

And stirred.

And rolled.

And cut.

And while I rolled and cut some more, I let Mylie do something all birthday girls should get to do.

Lick the bowl.

I think she wasn't so sure about it at first.
Like, is this a trick?

 And then she went to town.

And gave me that look.

The "don't you dare touch this bowl" look.

And the next look was more like "is that it!?"

No Smiles, that isn't quite it.

So we baked for about 20 min. 

(April's recipe calls for 15, but she suggests a few extra to crisp up the treats, we could have even baked a few more)

And how cute are they?

The heart shaped treats turned out the best.

 And then I made her wait VERY, VERY patiently while we documented for the blog.

I mean, look at that expression.

And then it was go time.

I think it's pretty obvious she loved them.

I mean, she's a treats girl, for sure.

Perhaps even a connoisseur 

Ever since the very first day.

Happy Birthday Miss Mylie, I love you. 

This post is brought to you by your resident crazy dog lady.

Linking up with Jessica, and you should too!!

 

Hello Monday...{a full weekend of fun, food, friends, & furries.}

This weekend I said sayonara to office duties on Friday afternoon...

and...

Hello new church friends...

Hello dinner with old friends...

Hello early morning on the San Francisco Bay Trail...

Hello wine tasting sister birthday outing...

Hello Ritz Carlton afternoon...

Hello incredible ocean views...

Hello warm firepit by the sea...

Hello wine tasting with Chris Benziger...

Hello old timey British cab...

Hello Sunday afternoon snoozes...

Hello furry friends...

Hello fighting loving like cats and dogs...

Goodbye weekend...see you again in a few days.

Linking up with Lisa here.

I'm Thankful For...The In Between Moments

A lot of this little blog chronicles all the things I get to go, see, and do.

And those things are wonderful. I often find myself anxiously awaiting the next adventure.

But, there is also so much adventure to be found in the in between. 

This girl is simple. 

She loves a day at the beach, but she also loves treats in the kitchen.

She loves 12pm every day when I show up to hang out with feed her. 

This pup has had some health issues lately. 

A few scary seizures that came out of nowhere.

Sweet Ashy was so concerned about Chloe.

It was precious to see her gentleness shine through as she cared for Chloe.

 And then there's these people.

Who love Christ in word and in deed.

Truly living out "a heart of love and a life of service". 

Joyfully. 

Even in something as simple as filling mugs with candy. 

And eggs, so many eggs.

The happiest note from a friend. 

Sunshiney Sundays on the lawn. 

Catching beauty in the place that I live.

And you know, just having fun for the sake of having fun.

Looking over all of this, I know God has given me much. 

Mostly, and most importantly, he has given me His Son.

All of these wonderful things pale in comparison to the redemption and grace I experience in Him every day.

I know that these things are temporal, and anxiously await the day of being with Him for eternity.

Where the adventures and joys will be far greater than I could even imagine.

I can't wait.

Magnificent Mykonos

9/1/12 - 
After a very rocky night and early morning at sea, we pulled into Mykonos port. 
I thought we were supposed to tender in, but we docked. 
It was crazy windy, even in the harbor. 

We took our time and then got off the ship and boarded some shuttles which carried us over to the main part of town. Mykonos was exactly what I had dreamed Greece would look like. 

Clusters of white, adobe looking flat roofed homes scattered along the hillside. 
Cylindrical huts with cone shaped roofs and the thinnest framed windmills.

We followed the crowds through the town roads and walkways and it was right out of a movie. 
White walls on all sides, steps built into them. Deep blue, royal blue and Tiffany blue shutters.

Hanging plants and flowering trees and bougainvillaeas. 
A few cats roamed the streets, which were made of stone, painted with whine lines to enhance the cobbles.
Tons of little shops and souvenir stores opened and we wandered the maze. 
A few dead ends and circle backs and soon we were on the waterfront  along the crashing waves over the break onto the cafe tables at the restaurants. 

The water was fantastic - brightest blue and aqua. 
Still windy and a lot of crashing.

We continued along the "Venice of Greece" and walked up to the four windmills. 
We enjoyed the views and walked and meandered back through the town. 

We found a little pastry shop where mom and dad had a baklava and I had a chocolate praline tart which was grossly sweet. 
Dad and I also split a feta pastry which was warm and delish...

We stopped in a few more shops and put our feet in the sea - the waves were choppy but it was warm, fresh, and clear blue.

We took the shuttle back to the boat - more wind!
And had lunch. 
Finally our boat left into a very windy sea - up to 75mph!

It was my favorite port so far and I wish we could have gone back or stayed much longer.  

I forgot the best story! While meandering thru the streets, we petted a few local dogs. One was about the same size as Mylie, maybe a few pounds less. 
It loved the attention. 
She rolled over for a belly rub and when we stopped petting her she gently put her paws up on us and nuzzled in for some love. 
All of the sudden she turned her head and scampered off. Next thing we knew she was running up to an old lady on a scooter - I thought she was about to get run over - instead she hopped right on the foot part and her and the lady rode right past us. 
The best moment by far!

 

Best Port of our trip.
Hands down.