Emmy Found Her New Home

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post detailing all of the current stress I've been dealing with.  Well, I'm happy to say that it has been greatly reduced since then.  We are still working with Brennan and plan to bring him into a child psychologist in September, we still are looking into the possibility of moving, and I'm still excessively busy trying to complete my crafts I've got going, but we've knocked a lot of the worry off of the list.  Our annual 4th of July party is behind us and I'm happy to say that it was a ton of fun.  The house looked great and I am going to try my very best to keep it looking this way!!!  I finished stripping the deck and it looks way better.  We seem to have gotten our Earwig infestation under control, thank God!  But most importantly, we found a new home for Emmy!

I wrote my "stress post" on Friday, June 22nd.  Emmy found and moved in with her new owners on Sunday, June 24th!  It was fast!  Honestly, after finally deciding on rehoming Emmy and seriously putting her out there on Facebook, Craigslist, and Petfinder, it didn't take long.  Ultimately, Emmy's new owner found her ad on Craigslist and came to meet her.  They are a very nice middle aged/older couple.  They have a 12 year old weimaraner who is suffering from severe hip dysplasia and they know that his time is drawing to a close.  They unfortunately will be having to put him down soon and wanted another nice pup to fill the void.  That's where Emmy came in...She is now living in a home in Rochester, MN with a nice fenced in backyard and two people who are spoiling her rotten. 

I figured that she was doing well and was happy, but I hadn't heard anything from the new owners.  I planned to text them soon to find out.  I haven't been missing Emmy too much, but I had been thinking about/hoping that she is doing well and is happy.  I obviously care about her a lot and want what is best for her.  I mean- we've had her since she was 6 weeks old.  She was our BABY for a long time!  We never envisioned giving her up, but as she became testier with the kids, more aggressive towards other dogs, and started jumping our backyard fence, we didn't feel like we had a lot of choice.

Anyway, my Mom has been asking me all the time if I'd heard from the owners or not yet.  Finally, she asked me what their name was, and since I'd mentioned that the lady worked at Mayo (just as my Mom and Ryan do), she looked her up and sent her an email this morning, much to my surprise!  Here's what it said,

Hi,

You don't know me, but I am Emmy's "Grandma".  I am just wondering how she is doing.  I know Colleen is wondering also, but is a little worried to contact you.  I know we all missed her a lot yesterday because we always took her to the fire works with us.  I know we are interested in coming and visiting her with the kids-hopefully in a few weeks.

Thanks,

Sue

Now, if you knew my mom, you would not be surprised in the least that she sent this email... :)  She was happy to receive this response,
  

Hi Susan,

Emmy is doing great.  She was a little bossy with our other dog, Reebok is a 12 year old Wiemeraner, so we had a few moments.  Reebok is on his last leg so we treat him too much and spoil Emmy just as much, especially Greg who is around the dogs a bit more than I am.  They’ve taken to sleeping on the floor in the bedroom, side-by-side and love going for car rides.  We went to my mom’s house yesterday and her dog Shorty gets along with both.  We’ve not been able to take Emmy to the dog park yet as Reebok’s hips don’t let him run that much but hope to get her there one of these days.

They have a nice sized back yard to run in and even in this hot weather, lie in the sun and nap.

Thank you, Colleen and the whole family for giving us Emmy.  Let me know when you might be interested in visiting.

Sincerely,

Vicki

It was such a relief to hear this!  It makes me confident that we sent Emmy to a good home and that she is happy and doing well!  It was hard, but turned out great!

I've come up with a list of a few pros and cons about not having Emmy anymore:

PROS
-Goodbye dog hair!
-No more drool and dirt smears on the walls and floors
-No more risk of a child getting bit!
-No longer liable if she jumps the fence and hurts another person or dog
-She won't jump the fence and get hit by a car!
-Easier to go on trips without having to find someone to watch her
-Save money on dog food, treats, and vaccinations

CONS
-Miss the occasional cuddle she liked to give me
-My side of the bed won't be pre-warmed in the winter anymore :(
-No more watchdog (I'm a bit more nervous when Ryan is gone overnight now...)
-Kids aren't being raised with a dog (except my parents' dog, Libby)
-No more cute pictures of babies and the dog
-I have to sweep underneath the high chair now
-I never did take and post a video on You Tube showcasing the variety of ridiculous noises Emmy could make, thus receiving millions of hits and in turn, fame and fortune

All in all, I think it was the best decision for everyone!  Love you, Em!

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Wordless Wednesday... on Thursday!

With all of the 4th of July craziness yesterday, I didn't get my Wordless Wednesday picture up, but I still wanted to share one this week.  So, here is my Wordless Thursday!

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Bryleigh is 3 Months Old!

Believe it or not, my little miss Bryleigh is 3 months old already!  She is full of smiles and giggles and she brightens any room.  She loves smiling and talking to her own reflection and lights up when her brother comes around.

She continues to be a very good baby, being pretty content most of the time.  She still likes her baby swing, but loves her bumbo and playmat the most.  I think it is  almost time to bring the exersaucer out!

We have started putting her down for bed in her crib at night and move her back to our room (most of the time) when she wakes up.  We think it is  a good way to get her used to her crib.  

I love watching her grow every day.  She is truly a delight!

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Diaper Cupcake Gift Set by Baby Sweet Treats Review and Giveaway

If you are like me, you are always looking for something cute and unique, when it is time to give a gift, especially for a new baby.    I'm in the midst of everything baby right now and I thought I'd seen it all.  That's why I was so impressed when I saw the next product I got to review and give away- a diaper cupcake set by Baby Sweet Treats! 

Baby Sweet Treats has a wide variety of adorable an unique products that are perfect for any new or expecting mother and, of course, her precious little one.  Any item from their product line makes a fantastic baby shower gift!  With nearly 600 sales and 100% positive feedback, you can be confident that your purchase experience with Baby Sweet Treats will be nothing but wonderful.  You can check out the Baby Sweet Treats Facebook page here.

Besides diaper cupcakes, Baby Sweet Treats creates and sells onesie cupcakes, mini and traditional diaper cakes, washcloth flower bouquets, lollipops, and sundaes.  Or if you can't choose between all of these adorable items, you can pick from one of the many gift baskets/packages that are offered.  Here are a few pictures of some of the products currently for sale at Baby Sweet Treats:

I was sent a diaper cupcake set to review.  Each cupcake was carefully made and placed into a bakery box for displaying.  The box was wrapped with a coordinating ribbon and topped off with a super-cute, matching gift tag.  The final appearance is attractive and fun!

One of my best friends just had a little baby boy in May and decided not to have her "Friends" baby shower until after the baby came so that all of the friends could meet him/her.  I figured that there would really be no better way to review the diaper cupcake set than to give it to her as a shower gift and watch for her reaction!

"What exactly is this?"

"Oh, so cute!"

The gift was a hit!  Shannon thought that the cupcake set was adorable and really clever!  I would  definitely recommend giving this as a shower gift or a new baby gift!  The Mama is sure to love it.

Now you've got your chance to win a diaper cupcake gift set for yourself or to give as a gift!  You'll be able to choose whether you want it to be girl themed, boy themed, or neutral.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was given this product for review purposes.  All of my opinions about this product are solely my own.  Your opinions may differ.  I was not compensated to write this post in any way.*   

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A Delicious Boneless Wings Recipe!

Hi everybody!

I want to share this delicious recipe with you.  I found it somewhere online, but I don't remember where, otherwise I would credit them!  Since I found this recipe, we've made it several times (chicken strip style rather than being tossed in sauce to make eating with children cleaner and easier) with only a slight variation- instead of preparing the sauce, we just use our favorite barbeque sauce, Sweet Baby Rays.  This one is definitely worth trying!  Anyway, here it is!

Boneless Wings
Ingredients:

• oil for deep frying
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1/4 cup hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Combine flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a large bowl. Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then roll in the flour blend. Repeat so that each piece of chicken is double coated. Refrigerate breaded chicken for 20 minutes.
3. Fry chicken in the hot oil, in batches. Cook until the exterior is nicely browned, and the juices run clear, 5 to 6 minutes a batch.
4. Combine hot sauce and butter in a small bowl. Microwave sauce on High until melted, 20 to 30 seconds. Pour sauce over the cooked chicken; mix to coat.

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The Return of my Wordless Wednesdays!

It's been a long time since I posted a Wordless Wednesday, but I'm bringing them back!  It seems like a lot of people really enjoyed them, so I thought I will try to start back up on them again!

Here we go!

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Lorelai's Day at Chalk Beach!

This is best friend, Heather's, little girl, Lorelai.  She is such a cute little sweetie.  Anyway, I just wanted to share these two adorable pictures with you!  Here is Lorelai enjoying her day at Chalk Beach!  She's got a good Mama, huh?  :)

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