New Family Update

Nils and Shawna

At the YMCA Family Festival, there was a chiropractor tent set up that Nils and I checked out. We got a gift certificate to get an consultation, x-rays and free adjustment so two weeks ago, we attended our appointment and had the x-rays done. I already got to speak with the chiropractor who discovered my spine twists to the left down by my pelvis and that there is a concern regarding my neck. I have loss the curve in my neck which is a condition commonly referred to as "military neck". The doctor is concerned since my test shows that on one side I have extreme nerve interference- the same nerves that run to my heart, lungs, and brain. Nils' x-ray examination is on Monday and then we will have one more appointment on Thursday to discuss our course of action (how often we will need to come in for adjustments, what our insurance covers, etc). So a lot is up in the air right now until that Thursday appointment. Man, it sucks getting old! LOL!

Ugg. The holidays have not been kind to my waist line. I am back to 130.6 lbs. I have been avoiding going to Weight Watchers meeting since I only have two more weeks of weigh ins before I am a lifetime member....if I don't gain more than 128 lbs. So I have stayed away until I can lose a few pounds. I never asked what happens when you go over but I am afraid they might tell me I need to start over and get back to my goal weight and begin another 6 weeks of maintence.

Shaylee

Shaylee is developing an imagination. She will tell stories and when she plays with her toys, she has little dialogs to go along with whatever she is going. She makes her hand talk, like you would if you have a hand puppet on, and has us do the same, calling our hand character "my friend" although in her little baby voice, it sounds more like "muffin". So yeah, my daughter talks to her hands, LOL! She will invent little games including one where she is running from a "scary ghost". Its another sign that she is really growing up so fast.

She LOVES her Kindermusik class! Each Saturday she becomes more and more outgoing. We are now making it a routine to listen to the take home CD everynight which Shaylee loves. She is beginning to learn all the words to the songs and danced along to all of them. Its money well spent and we plan to renew our membership when its time.

Whole Family

Our Thanksgiving was very nice. My paternal grandparents came over and had dinner with us. I'll be posting some pics later.

Zoey

Not much new to report about Zoey other than she is teaching the other dogs bad habits. For example, I always bragged about how Cayman rarely barked. He is now copying Zoey's horrible habit of barking when people come into the house. One alert bark to announce their presence is fine, but Zoey has a tendency to bark when she is a room with someone and they stand up. Its really quite annoying and Cayman is starting to pick up on it, barking at my grandparents on Thanksgiving, something he has never done. He is also mimicing how Zoey jumps off the back of the couch which is going to give me a heartattack some day since I am so fearful about his back, being a dachshund and all. Roxy, my parent's beagle mix, is also copying off Zoey's jumping at the french doors to be let back in. She used to just sit and whine and now she is scratching at the woodwork which if not nipped in the bud, could cause some destruction since she is a much large dog with much larger claws. So Zoey is gonna need some work. I just have been reluctant since the time spent trying to teach an old dog new tricks is better used preventing the same issues in the moldable young pup- Cayman, which really isn't fair to Zoey when I think about it.

Cayman

Cayman has gotten his certificate and it is official- we are now a therapy dog team with PAWS Ministry. We have been assigned the Hidden Oaks retirement home and have our first assignment on Saturday, December 6. You can read more about this on Cayman's very own blog: http://doxidoggybloggy.blogspot.com

Sterling

Sterling is her typical self. We see her when she wants to be fed or when she wants in from outside. She is more aloof than she has ever been but I think she is happier since she is able to go outside. She always stays right in the yard, it is fenced in anyhow, and I think that it keeps her from getting bored. There is always lizards, birds, and squirrels to chase and plenty of sunshine to sun herself. So even if she doesn't spend as much time with us, she is definately enjoying life more than she did when she was strickly indoors.

Our Peanut Butter Birdseed Bird Feeders

Recently, Shaylee and I made peanut butter and birdseed bird feeders.

Shaylee decided to eat more peanut butter than she actually spread on the paper towel rolls.
Spreading the peanut butter on before rolling it in birdseed.
These were set up in the backyard. Since neither on is still there, I am assuming the squirrels must have carried them off to their nest.

Random Pics of Shaylee

Nils and Shaylee get to pet a real wolf at the Howl-A-Jubilee Pet Festival.

Shaylee cuddling a slightly uncomfortable Zoey.

"If I just close my eyes, it will all be over soon!"- Zoey

YMCA Family Festival

After Kindermusik today, Nils and I took Shaylee to our local YMCA's Annual Family Festival. While we were there we got to meet Snow White, bounce around in the bounce house, listen to music and get Shaylee's child identification packet which included her photo, fingerprints and a kit to collect a DNA sample, God forbid anything should happen where she would go missing. Better be safe than sorry!

More Random Cuteness

Shaylee must have remembered her last "photo session" outside of her Kindermusik class because she couldn't wait to ham it up for me again today!

Vicks on Your Feet for Colds?

This whole week Shaylee has had a cold. Runny nose, some coughing, congestion, the works. So then my mom tells me that about 10 people at her work suggested to get over a cold to put Vicks and socks on your feet overnight to get rid of a cold. What?! Vicks on your feet for a cold?!

Weird.

But then again I was told that orange Gatorade (no flavor substitutions) and original Lays potato chips (no substitutions) cured nausea. Someone my mom knows husband had to go thru chemo and that's what they suggested. The last time I had a hangover (hehe) I tried it out. Hey, if it worked for chemo it had to work for overindulgence of vodka, grenadine, and Sprite! And it worked! I couldn't believe it! Jot that down.

So maybe Vicks and socks on your feet overnight for a cold really isn't that strange at all. I will have to try it out. It can't hurt and I definitely would like to avoid calling Shaylee's Kindermusik teacher to tell her we can't come to class tomorrow because Shaylee is too sick.

Oh and today Shaylee used up all her nasal decongestant on her baby doll so how her baby doll is "oll better!"

Random Pics of Cuteness

These were taken outside of Shaylee's Kindermusik class. I just loved what she was wearing so much I had to take a picture....well, that turned into several since they all came out so cute!

Shaylee Goes Bowling!

Yesterday after Shaylee's Kindermusik class, Nils and I took her bowling for the very first time. I had received some free game passes during my company's Wellness Fair. The girl that worked that counter could not get over how cute Shaylee was and ended up renting out the bowling shoes to us for free when we would have normally had to pay for them. Shaylee did really well! She could not wait to get out and roll the ball. I had to laugh how she put her hand on her hip after each roll, like she was an old pro. The girl set it up so that during Shaylee's turn, the lane gutters went up but went back down when it was Nils or my turn. We bowled okay, it has been a long time for us too! And it was a blast and everyone just thought she was the cutest! After bowling, Nils took us to lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries which is well known as the best burgers in town. I LOVE their fries! When we had finished eating, we went to pick up our pottery that we painted at Get Your Paint on. They came out so good! The woman that ran the place said a lot of people complimented on my jar. We finished our day with a quick run to the vet's to pick up a copy of our dachshund's vaccination records since they are required for today's Temperament Testing with PAWS Ministry, a therapy dog group (more on that on his own blog, link to the right). It was a perfect family day out and Shaylee did really well- she participated in Kindermusik class, was good about taking turns and following directions at the bowling alley, ate her lunch at Five Guys, and took a decent nap in the car on the way to and from the pottery and vaccination record pick up.

Butterscotch Halloween Breakfast Bread

Butterscotch Halloween Breakfast Bread

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar or 24 packets of Splenda
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 package (3.4 oz) instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin or fresh mashed pumpkin

• ¼ cup flake coconut
• ¼ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup raisins
• ½ cup unsweetened apple juice

Glaze-

· 1 cup powdered sugar

· 2 tbsp brown sugar

· ½ tbsp cinnamon

· 2 tbsp margarine or butter, softened

· 1 tsp pure vanilla

· 1 to 3 tbsp milk

Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan or spray with baking spray such as Pam, and flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small bowl, mix the nuts with the coconut and soak in apple juice.

In another small bowl, add 1 to 3 tbsp of milk to glaze ingredients to form glaze consistency.

In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil and applesauce until well blended; beat in vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, pudding mix, and spices.

Slowly beat dry ingredients into the first mixture, alternating with the pumpkin, just until blended. Stir in soaked nut mixture.

Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle on glaze and cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove loaf to wire rack to cool completely.

Happy Halloween!

For Halloween this year, since Nils and I were both off work and had Shaylee all day, we decided to make some Halloween decorated cupcakes. I had purchased Halloween themed cupcake liners- they were purple with little ghost and candy corn patterns on them; Halloween themed sprinkles in purple, orange and black; and marshmallow Peeps ghosts for decoration. I prepared the cupcakes and frosted them and Shaylee helped put the sprinkles and candy corn Hershey kisses on the ones that didn't have the marshmallow Peeps ghost on them.



Later that evening, Shaylee went trick or treating of course! Her first trick or treating! My friend Alicia came with us with the new puppy Bindi, dressed as a female pirate (Bindi, not Alicia, LOL!) but soon had to loose the costume since the sleeves were too long on her and she kept tripping over them. Cayman, my longhair miniature dachshund puppy, was dressed as a skeleton. And guess what I found in the road? Two twenty dollar bills and a one dollar bill! I found $41 trick or treating! I would have tried to find who loss it but with so many kids around, it could have been anyone.

Shaylee did soooo good with the trick or treating. She was happily yelling out "Happy Halloween" like as if she was in a parade or something, LOL! She can be such a ham! She remembered to say thank you after getting her treats and made out pretty well. Since she was getting tired from the walking, we didn't hit up as many houses as I thought but she still got a pail full. She may have retired from trick or treating, but was not too tired to help pass out candy with Poppa to the few strangler trick or treaters we had up to about 10:30 last night! She didn't crash until almost 11 pm! She can be such a party girl, LOL!

Bindi- dresses as a pirate

Mommy and Shaylee checking out the goods in our PJs!