Fridays with Floyd: Drama King

Floyd is apparently been trying out for the puppy Academy Awards

because he has TURNED up the dramatics lately.

Example 1: 

I took him to the vet the other to have his boot-ay expressed.

(sorry to be graphic but it's vital to the story. It's not a fun experience for anyone, but a necessary basset health requirement).

As the vet tech was taking him back she said:

'Hi Floyd! Do you like having your boot-ay expressed (she used the correct medical terminology) more than you like have your nails trimmed?

I know that you are quite the drama king.'

Awesome.
My dog's dramatics are known all over town.

Example 2:

The panting.

I know it's hot out and he is wearing a black fur coat

but

Floyd will begin to pant the moment the garage door has gone up 

and we begin our walk.

We are barely out in to the fresh air and he's panting.

Listen, Floyd, you haven't even had time to breath in the actual outside air
so I don't believe that you are quite that hot just yet.

Example 3:

The old western flop.

It doesn't matter if it's 60 degrees or 100 outside,

Floyd does the exact same thing every single time he comes inside.

Step 1. DEMAND an ice cube

 Step 2. Preform a 3 point fall down to the ground in an act in pure agony.

 

He carries on as if we have asked him to run a marathon

when really we've been outside for less than 20 minutes

(and even less when it's this hot out).

Do your animals carry on like this?

P.S. no bassets have been harmed in the making of these videos or photos.

Bookworm

In honor of my monthly book club tonight I 

thought I would share with you my recent favorite reads.

1. 50 Shades

 duh.

The first book in the trilogy was last months book club pick.
I read all 3 

but we've talked about this.

You know I loved them. 

2. MWF Seeking BFF

 To say I loved this book is an understatement.

I enjoyed it so much that I emailed the author yesterday.

I loved it so much and wanted to let her know how much her book touched me.

I really felt that I could connect with Rachel (author) and at the same time, she really inspired me.

Since moving to Cincinnati about 3 years I have made a few girlfriends 

but have always been yearning for more.

Who doesn't love new friends??

The friend search has definitely been a struggle for me.

I had a (large) great group of friends in Indianapolis and leaving that was very hard. 

 

Her book has really encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone

and seek out friends in new places.

She also encourages you to continue to work on the 

friendships you have and develop them further.

Whether you are new to a city or not, I think this book is a great read for everyone.

3. Bossypants  

 I picked up Bossypants from the library as a book on tape.

(P.S. I love books on tape...am I the only one? I have 

also been listening to them when I run. #nerdalert).

Listen.

This book is SO funny.

I'm talking tears running down my face while I'm driving funny.

(not the safest condition)

It is read by Tina which, I think, makes it that much funnier.

If you haven't read or listened to this book you need to run to the library and pick it up.

Those are my most recent favorites.

What are you reading right now?

What should we read next month for book club??

Cookout Recipes & a Review

Here are the yummy recipes I promised you yesterday.

Summer Shandy

(makes one pitcher) 

-1 2 liter of seltzer 

-1 can lemonade concentrate (thawed)

-1 beer (preferably a lager) -per person

-ice

1. Mix the seltzer, concentrate and ice in a pitcher.

2.  Fill 1/3 of a pilsner glass with the seltzer/concentrate mix, fill rest of glass with beer

3.  Enjoy on the porch on a summer evening

Yes we have Yuengling. And yes it's delicious.
Come visit me in Ohio and I'll share some with you.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mallow Bars
adapted from food and family

-1 package devil’s food cake
-1/2 cup butter, melted
-2/3 cup cold milk, divided
-3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
-1 jar (7oz) marshmallow cream
-2 squares semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

 1.  Heat oven to 350.
 2.  Mix cake mix, butter and 1/3 cup of milk until blended. Press 2/3 into bottom of 9x13 pan. Bake 12-14 minutes until center is almost set. Cool for 3 minutes.
3.  Mix peanut butter and remaining milk; spread onto crust. Top with spoonfuls of marshmallow cream and remaining cake mix.  Sprinkle chopped chocolate, press gently into cake mixture.
4.  Bake 18 minutes or until center is set. Cool before cutting into bars.

These were messy, but SO good!

We also had buffalo burgers with blue cheese topping via Rachael Ray

I switched up her recipe a little and used ground chuck instead of turkey-as she suggests.

 This Rachael Ray cookbook showed up on my door step about a week ago.

It was from Amazon but there was no indication of who it came from.

And I knew I hadn't ordered it.

After a few texts and interrogations I narrowed it down to my mama,

she's a gem!

It has already been put to good use and I can't wait to try every single burger!

And what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't have a review of the Skinnygirl wine for you?
Verdict: Yummm!

 I took 2 wine classes in college...dream classes you may call them.
Oh you want me to drink wine for a class?
Oookay.
Rest assured I got A's in both classes.

Anyyyway,  I like this wine.
It's a red blend which are typically my favorites.
It is pretty light but has a good, simple flavor.
The flavor isn't too complex which is fine by me for a wine that I am sipping on before bed. 
And for 100 calories per serving* (the bottle says per 5 oz serving
{honestly who only drinks 5 oz??} ) you really can't beat it.

I'd venture to say that I like this wine better than I like her other mixes.

Has anyone else tried this wine??

Weekend Wrap Up: Day Late

Oh hey, Tuesday, nice to see you.

I was so pooped from our weekend 

that a wrap up just did not happen yesterday

but without further adieu,

here's what went down.

Friday night we went to a beer tasting in our neighborhood.
Free beer that we can walk to?
Check.
We sampled about 8 different beers and learned a little too.

Most importantly we learned an easy recipe for a shandy...

I'll be sharing that one later this week!

Saturday morning we took Floyd to Starbucks and
sat outside, had coffee, and enjoyed the morning.
We spent the rest of the day outside with some friends

 from the neighborhood lounging at their house and at the pool.
Floyd and his new girlfriend, Pepper, spent some quality time together.

"Oh, Pepper, you are so pretty."- Floyd

 We had plans to work on the house and get a few thing accomplished
but the pool was much more inviting.

Sunday we started the morning off at the Hyde Park Farmers Market.

Floyd even got to go and got a lot of rubs.

One lady even told us that Floyd 'made her happy in her heart'.

Melt mine why don't ya?

 The rest of the day was spent getting ready 

and cooking for Katie and Derek to come over!

We had lots of appetizers, buffalo burgers, grilled veggies and delicious 

chocolate peanut butter mallow bars (I'll share that recipe later this week too!)

 Katie brought me the Skinnygirl wine and I AM dying to try it.

We know I love all things Bethenny and I'm very curious to see how the wine fares.

And! I found out on Friday that my bestie from IL is coming this weekend to visit!!

Excited doesn’t begin to describe it! 

Watch out, Ikea, you are on our list! 

P.S. I am over at The Magnolia Pair today sharing my kitchen essentials,

go check it out! 

Fridays with Floyd: Letters from Floyd

Hi guys,

Floyd asked me to type up this letter to you.

 I've taken the liberty to correct his grammar and spelling.

Hi TBC friends!

After a year and a half I think it is high time that I have a say in what goes on here!

 I've noticed that we've have quite a few new followers so I thought I would reintroduce myself and fill everyone on in on ME.

1. I am really, really active.

Mama and Papa think that I sleep all day but really I'm doing lots of cool stuff that they don't know about.  And I'm sorry but I can't share it with you either, but trust me, I'm busy. 

2.  I am the head of our household and of our neighborhood.

I continuously keep on eye on everyone and everything in this 'hood.

Personally, I think my efforts are greatly under appreciated.

3.  I am a perfect angel all the times.

It's true! I have NEVER been in trouble or caused a mess, ever.

4.  I am an excellent sous chef.

I help mom in the kitchen every single night.

I have never once fallen asleep on the job or anything!

5.   I am really good at sleeping in multiple positions.

I mean, I can sleep just about anywhere.
However I prefer to sleep when I am touching someone or 

somewhere that you have been sitting and is already warm.

Or in bed, between Mama and Papa, on the diagonal.

I think that is enough insight for this week.

I will be back soon!

Have a great weekend friends!

I hear we are going swimming, to a beer tasting, and having a cookout.

Don't worry, I'm sure Mom will obnoxiously document it all to and show you on Monday. 

Running Update

I know you have been sitting on the edge of your seat 

wondering how my running has been going.

Well, I'm glad you asked.

It's been going pretty well. 

There are times while I'm running that it sucks and I am cursing it

BUT I can tell that it's getting easier

and that I've lost a few lbs 

(if we are being totally honest, 

I am eating an ice cream sandwich while I'm typing this...

a girl can't live on protein bars alone)  

I ran while we were at the lake and it didn't go well

and I was really mad at myself.

But instead of getting too frustrated with myself
I repeated the run on Monday and it went much better.

Now today is the scary one...

It is supposed to go something like this

5 minute warm up

20 minute jog.

Yes, you read that correctly...

They want me to run for 20 minutes, straight. 

Like, without stopping.

Monday's run was 

5 minute warm up

8 minute jog

5 minute brisk walk

8 minute jog

cool down.

So what you are telling me (nice, friendly) Couch to 5k trainer lady

is that the most I've run is 8 minutes at a time and now I'm supposed to run 20?!

If anyone needs me I'll be in the neighbor's yard passed out. 

 Any form of life support or encouragement is welcome...

Last time, I had a few questions about my running shoes...

they are the Rush 33's by Asics.

 I picked mine up at Kohls for about $55

(well really for $15 because my mom is awesome 

and gave me $40 in Kohl's cash...) 

Their site is now saying they are $65 but it's 

Kohls so I'm sure they will be on sale by this weekend

Over the weekend a friend of mine told me about 

Running Warehouse

great running gear and their clearance sections has tons of deals!   

I think a running skirt may be in my future

 P.S. don't forget to enter the giveaway I am hosting over at Britt's blog!

 

Goodies

Are you ready for a great Tuesday??

1. If I were you, I would go HERE and see check out some 

awesomeness over at The Magnolia Pair 

I'll give you a hint...

and if you are visiting from The Magnolia Pair

WELCOME and good luck!

2. Shanna is hosting a Bauble Swap !

How fun is that?!

All you need to do is shoot her an email,

she will pair you up with another blogger,

you pick out a necklace, bracelet, earrings (under $25)

and send it to the blogger you were paired with

and you get something in return!

Sounds like a pretty fun mail day to me!!

Check out Shanna's post here for the official rules

and SIGN up!! 

The more the merrier! 

Now if that isn't a recipe for a great Tuesday I don't know what is! 

P.S. can we talk about Arie stealing the show on the Bachelorette last night

with that sneaking off to her room??

Really, really cute.

He's always been my #1 this season and that just sealed the deal! 

Weekend Wrap Up: Lake George & Meal Plan

Another wonderful summer weekend has come and gone for us.

We spent our weekend with the Beckers up at Lake George on the Michigan/Indiana border.

The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, there were 

doggies swimming and plenty of babies to love on.

I'll let the pictures do the talking

(mostly because I am too tired to type anymore)

 aaaand we're out.

Oh, real quick, here is our meal plan for the week!

Week 3: June 17th- 23rd

Monday: Turkey Fajita Lettuce Wraps

Tuesday: Going away dinner for a friend

Wednesday: Cha Cha Cherry BBQ Chicken + Veggies

 

  Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Cookout Blate with Katie and Derek!

Saturday: Penne with Zucchini, Lime & Herbs

 How was your weekend??

Fridays with Floyd: Corn Cob

First of all,
a HUGE welcome to all of our new friends
visiting from The Magnolia Pair and Across the Pond!
Welcome, welcome!

Moooving on,
we grilled out the other night and made

Grilled Basil Marinated Chicken (so good, btw) and grilled corn on the cob.

After dinner

we decided, 'why not let Floyd in on the fun

of eating corn off the cob?'
Seems like a totally reasonable thing for a basset hound to be able to do...right?
(however, considering he trips on thin air at least once a day...coordination isn't his strong suit)

Regardless of his coordination, with camera in hand, we handed over the cob.
He wasn't quite sure what to do with it but he is not one to miss on out on free human food.

 There wasn't any corn left so I'm pretty sure he just did a lot of gnawing on it.

 And it sure was funny to see him look like he had a (corn) cigar in his mouth.

 But in his world, it was by far the best Tuesday night he's had in awhile. 

He has proceeded to lick the deck each and every time he's been outside since then.

Happy weekend friends!
Make it a good one!!
Eat some corn for Floyd!

From Blog Life to Real Life

My friends (and hubs) have come to learn that when I talk about my "friends" 

or something I read online that I am generally talking about my blog friends 

and not necessarily someone I've met in real life.

 But I think that is one of the best things about blogging...

you are able to make all of these new friends,

share experiences and get to know one another virtually.

Distance no longer becomes a factor because you have the awesomeness that is the blogworld.

Even though you don't live in the same city you can still be very good friends

and that, my friends ;), is awesome!

Not to mention those blog friendships that turn into real life friendships.

Warms my heart.
I absolutely love the stories of Katie/Steph and Raven/Lindsey
becoming best friends through the blog world.

So when I spotted this link up over at Britt's blog

I knew I had to join in on the fun

I mean who doesn't love dreaming up imaginary lives with your blogger bffs?

(btw, have you checked out Britt's blog? I'm sponsoring over there this month and she is awe.some.)

 1. Do you have any real life blog friends? 

Sure do! Elise and I are best friends from college

I also know Katie, Lauren, Liz and Bethany since we all live in Cincinnati 

2. Which blogger are you just dying to meet?

Without a doubt, PW. My infatuation love for her and her bassets is undeniable. 

The things I would give to spend a weekend at the ranch with her...

   

3. Which blogger's closet do you want to raid? 

Pretending that size isn't an issue...

I would start with Erin's- since she has 4 (!) of them
 then I would move on to Shanna's because she's adorable and girl can work Forever 21 like none other!

 

4. You are stuck on an island. Which blogger would you want with you to help you survive? 

I have to go with Raven because I know that she would have drinks with her

and PW because I know we would be eating well. 
  

5. The first blogger you remember "meeting" and connecting with ? 

 I think Katie, we have become good friends, thanks to the 
blogging and living in the same city!
And I have to say that the the few times I have met up with another bloggers, 
it has always been the best experience! I can't wait to meet more in the future!

6. Any blogger that you admire and look up to? 

Some of the best blog advice that I've ever read is to just be 'you'. I think this is so true and important and a feature that I strive for that everyday. I love when I find blogs that are 'real' every day, day in and day out. I think that Steph, Katie and Erin do this EXTREMELY well and I admire them a lot for that.

7. Who is the craziest/funniest blogger? 

It is a toss up between Erin and Tiff. 
I die laughing at each of them every day.

 8. There's a reality television show for bloggers, who would you want to be casted with you? 

First of all, that would be so fun.

Okay, long list...

Katie, Erin, Raven, Steph, Katie, Lauren, Megan, Tiff (and Sherman), Natasha, and Cassie.

9. Some bloggers have really cool jobs, anybody you'd like to swap careers with? 

 I choose Jenni for this one. 

 She's beautiful, has adorable dogs, gets to work from home, and do photography.

(And her hubs isn't half bad looking either...jk, Mister)

10. Favorite blog design? 

Erin gets the award for this one...her blog is so pretty and pleasing to the eye, I just love it!

Annnnd now you know who I stalk on a daily basis, ha!  

Who are your favorites?

Go link up!!

Chicago Weekend Wrap Up: Part 2

I am back with part 2 of our weekend!
(you can catch up on part 1 here)

Saturday morning began with a surprise baby shower for our friend Sarah at Prasino.

Sarah and her husband Mitch are expecting their first little guy in October 

and we all could not be happier about it.

He will be the first babe in our group of friends and he is sure to be spoiled by all of us!

We decided to help Sarah and Mitch build their nursery library and

everyone gave them a copy of their favorite childhood books!

The rest of the day Saturday with spent girl talking.

No joke we spent HOURS just lounging around, gossiping,

reading magazines and catching up on each others lives.

It was just like Saturdays in college and it was perfect.

Saturday night it was time for the big BOAT party for Laura's birthday.

We rented a boat that took us out on the the lake, down the Chicago river (through downtown-so beautiful) and back out into the lake for the Navy Pier fireworks.

It was the most beautiful evening and we had the great.est time. 

Like, ever.

Ready for the photo dump??

There is a large possibility that we hailed a stretch limo for the ride home...
and by possibility I mean a 100% chance

(sadly it all happened so fast I didn't get a chance to take any pictures)

And now it's Wednesday and I am already counting down the hours days until this weekend!