thoughts on a friday

My creative juices seems to be in short supply lately. Ok, maybe that's the wrong way of explaining it. They're just reallocated. I've been using them up more at work than ever before. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. I've never been in a position where my creativity was being so utilized for work. I get to write regularly, which is part of where those creative juices are going. And I am loving it. I just find that I have less to offer here, in my own space.

When I created this blog, I used it as my primary form of creative outlet. I am a writer and I need to write. I need to get thoughts and words out of my head and into a tangible form. So I often hesitate when I am deciding on what to post on my blog. I don't want to post on just anything. I don't want this space to be used to just post something to say I did it. I want it to be about quality and creativity and my gift to the world because that is what writing is to me. It's what I can offer, it's my form of art.

So regardless of this topic-less blog post. Here is what I offer to you today. My lack of creative juices and just words and thoughts. Because that's all I've got for you today.

Plus, it's Friday and my day off. So maybe I'll store up my creativity for another day. I hope you find yourself surrounded by something beautiful today that inspires you and fills you. Happy Weekend.

Until next time...

winnie turns two

I have turned into one of those people who celebrates their dogs birthday. I think birthday's are a big deal, even if you walk on four legs. It is the one day a year that celebrates a life, and it is important. Winnie turned two today! It feels like we've had her for a lot longer than two years but there has been a drastic amount of change in the two short years of her life.

this was soon after we picked her up

And just like any other birthday, it's not official unless you have cake! I looked around for different cake recipes and landed on this one which is easy and healthy for the dog. First, start out by adding the egg, oil, peanut butter and vanilla in a bowl. Mix those ingredients together.

Next, add the shredded carrots (actually shredding the carrots took longer than making the whole cake, so just be aware).

Then sift the flour and baking soda together and fold it into the mixture. Make sure all the ingredient are combined.

Then spoon it into the greased cake pan. I used a loaf pan because I ended up cutting it in half and making it a two layer cake, but you can used any size pan that you have available.

Cook it for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. I warmed up some peanut butter and spread it over the entire cake for the frosting. It's not the most beautiful thing I've ever made, but Winnie didn't care.

Our little birthday girl just LOVED it! She gobbled it right up. She also got a couple new toys which is always great. And yes, she's just a little bit spoiled.

Here is the full recipe:

Doggie Birthday Cake

1 egg 

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 6 cup ring mold.
2. Combine the egg, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla, in a large bowl; blend well. Stir in the carrots and mix thoroughly. Sift together the flour and baking soda and fold into the carrot mixture. Spoon cake batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes; then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Until next time...

high five for friday

today i'm linking up with lauren over at lauren elizabeth

Here are my top five from this week.

1. we planted some herbs a few weeks ago and they are finally starting to grow. can't wait to have some fresh cilantro and basil.

2. i found some low-fat fro-yo at the grocery store and may or may not have ate it almost every night.

3. my brother-in-law graduated from college this past weekend and we had a great time celebrating his success. plus, we got to spend some extra time with family.

4. i spent some extra time at the boutique this week and i am really enjoying my work there.

5. we took walks every night this week because the weather was so beautiful.

Happy Weekend!

what i'm reading (or not)

Confession: I started reading Pride & Prejudice, because I had never done so, and I made it a couple chapters into the book and I just can't get into it. I feel like I'm spitting in the face of classic literature because I just am having such a hard time staying engaged. I really want to like it, but am not sure if I'm willing to continue reading just for the sake of saying I read it.

Agh, I feel better...sort of. I still feel bad. I feel like I should just dive right into it and be engaged, interested and excited to read the next page. I tried, but I'm just not that interested. I've read many books that I can't wait until the next time I read, but I'm not finding that with this one. Oh well, guess I'm just not as into the classics as I thought.

So I back to square one, trying to figure out what to read next. I'm currently book-less, which is rare. I usually have more than one book I'm reading at a time, but now I find myself without a book of interest. I recently finished Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Melton. I loved this book! I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions. While many of the topics are related to difficult topics, the way she delivers them are just funny. She is the writer of the blog Momastery, which is primarily related to parenting, but regardless of your life stage, it's a great read.

Now this is where you come in-- I'm looking for my next read (or two) so any recommendations of books you've recently finished would be greatly appreciated. So please share!

Until next time...

winnie love

Winnie hasn't gotten much blog love recently so I figured since she is sportin' her new do...it's time. We've had terrible luck, mostly due to me, finding a groomer that actually knows how to groom a Goldendoodle. Many people like to cut them like poodles, which not to knock the poodles but she is not one. She is a shaggy doodle and I prefer when she looks that way. I finally broke down and took her to PetsMart, which I swore I'd never do, and they did the best job so far. She still has the poodle poof on top but at least she is still cute.

With the weather being so beautiful the past few days, we've been spending a lot of our time outside, hanging out on the balcony and enjoying all the windows being open. I love the smell of springtime! Although...allergies much?!? They seem to be worse than usual, but I'll take it as long as we can keep this weather.

Can you tell I love my doodle?!? Until next time...

on the new job and our weekend in milwaukee

Hello there--

Sorry I've been kind of lacking this week. I've been spending a good majority of time writing for work. Which reminds me...I may not have told you, but I got a job! Answered pray for sure! I am so thankful for it. I'm working at an adorable women's boutique here in northern Indiana called Flourish Boutique & Gallery. If you like clothes, then you should definitely check it out. I may be biased, but we carry some pretty cute stuff. I am working on the social media and marketing side of the shop and so far it has been lots of fun. It's a completely different environment and industry than I've ever worked in, but it's an exciting change. So I'm a double blogger now. I'll try to keep a better balance between the two, but if you want to check out the other blog, just click here. It will keep you all up to date with the goings-on in the fashion world.

In other news, we traveled to Milwaukee last weekend to visit some dear friends. They recently got an dog named Curly and so, obviously, we had to get the dogs together so they could meet. Here is a iPhone recap.

The weekend basically went like this: the dogs played and we watched them. We talked. The dogs played more. We ate really big cookies. We took the dogs for a walk. We ate some sushi. We did some shopping. We went to Bryants-- a really sweet old time cocktail lounge. Then the dogs played and we talked some more. It was a really great weekend. We always love going to Milwaukee, not just because it's a fun city and the houses are beautiful, but because the people there are pretty great, too.

I hope your week has been a good one. We'll catch up again soon. But until then, for your enjoyment, here is a picture of Winnie enjoying the spring air on the car ride.

Until next time..

my favorite pinterest recipes

Pinterest is such a great way to find new recipes. You really can spend all day just repinning pictures of delicious looking dishes. However, sometimes looks can be deceiving. I've made a couple of those dishes and to its always such a bummer when you prepare something and its an epic failure.

Today I wanted to share with you three of my favorite Pinterest recipes. It's ways better to try things after someone else has figured out if it actually tastes good. And instead of retyping all three recipes, you can just click on the name of the dish and it will take you right to the original recipe.

1. Grilled Bruschetta Chicken 

2. Baked Spinach Chips

3. Grilled Fish Tacos

First, the Grilled Bruschetta Chicken is delicious. It was delicious right off the girl and the leftovers were just as tasty. If you like bruschetta, than you definitely need to try this. It's also super easy and healthy, so there is no reason you shouldn't attempt it.

Secondly, I tried the baked spinach chips only because I had a bunch of left over baby spinach leaves from a recipe I had previously made. I wasn't real optimistic about the flavor because I'm not a huge fan of spinach, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it actually tasted similar to chips. There is a slight flavor difference but if you are wanting a healthier option, these are a great choice. They were good enough that I ate them all. But make sure you have a mirror, so you don't have any green things hanging out of your teeth afterward.

Lastly, is by far my most favorite recipe from Pinterest. I don't really like fish. I rarely eat it and when I do the fishy taste has to pretty covered up; however, on occasion I can handle fish tacos. Since Jake likes fish a lot, I figured I'd be a good wife and make something with fish. As soon as we had these, we were addicted. The mango & avocado salsa is to die for! I've used both fresh tilapia and mahi mahi and each time it has turned out awesome. We make them at least ever couple weeks. The only down fall is that they have a lot of fresh ingredients that can get expensive, but they are so worth it. Oh, and they're healthy for you. You really can't go wrong.

So there you go. Those are my favorite pinned recipes. You can check out all the other recipes on my Pinterest page as well.

Tell me-- what are some of your favorites?