Jun 112013
 

The Pixie Project doesn’t just rescue dogs. The also have cats! They foster cats and kittens waiting for adoption and the also have a small room with a few cats at the actual shelter. The last time Michael and I were there to walk dogs, I saw that they had TWO KITTENS! Two tiny kittens that must have only been about 8 weeks that were the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Next to my babies, of course.

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The little tabby was pretty shy and didn’t really like me holding him. But the orange kitt was a little love bug. She was playful and hilariously uncoordinated. She let me pick her up and cradle her in my arms like a baby. She looked up at me with her pretty little eyes and just gazed.

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The little bugger discovered my braided hair, too. She started batting at the braid and the realized there was a hairtie on the end of it that was removable and by golly she removed it. I grabbed it just in time before she ate it. Stinker.

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Have you died from the cuteness yet? Don’t worry, I have two more pictures to share that will send you over the edge.

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The little baby was tuckered out! All that playing. So yes, it is indeed KITTEN season! Consider rescuing some babies if you’re in the market for a cat. Kittens are a lot of work, though. Don’t disregard getting an older cat. There was one 8 year old tabby that looked a lot like Fat Kitty (but skinnier) and she plopped right down on my lap and started purring.

After the kitten play time, it was time to walk some dogs. Michael and usually end up walking a pair of chihuahua named Cindy and Tiki. I’ve written about them in the past. They are adorable and a little odd. They are older and Tiki has some gray hair on his face. Tiki is a great dog. He just wants to smell everything on his walk. He has his nose to the ground and just goes. Cindy is goofy. She tends to pull on the leash and when she stops to pee she does a hand stand.  It’s the funniest thing!

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They were rescued from a crackhouse so they are very socialized. Nothing bothers them –bikers, kids, other dogs, nothing. They aren’t fazed one bit.

After Cindy and Tiki, we walked Chewy! Chewy was the dog I walked last time I volunteered at Pixie Project on my own, so I’m glad that Michael got to meet him. He’s the goofiest looking dog but SWEET. So affectionate. Chewy has a lot of energy but knows some commands like “sit”.

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It was a hot sunny day and the dogs were SO HAPPY to be outside playing in it! After walking the dogs we were hot and sweaty and hungry so we went back downtown for dinner. Michael had a Groupon for Via Tribunali, a pizza place in Old Town. What I love about Groupon and Living Social is that it gives us the opportunity to try new places I haven’t heard of. I never would have known Via Tribunali was even there!

The place was really cute and had a perfect location– right next door to Voodoo Donuts. There was outdoor seating and plenty of people-watching opportunities. The wait staff was really friendly and quick. It was a pleasant experience.

We ordered the “SALSICCIA E CIPOLLA” pizza. It was Italian sausage, oven-roasted onions, fresh mozzarella, basil, grana padano cheese. It was a white pie, no mozzarella and they brought out sweet chili oil to go with it. Loved the chili oil!

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It was a smallish pizza, perfect for two people to share. I had three pieces and that was perfect. It was thin crust and the crust was smoky and crispy. They also brought out scissors to cut the pizza! I’ve never seen that done before but Michael said that was how his grandma cut pizza.

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The had a huge, gorgeous pizza oven that looked like a piece of art. It was a great place and we had a good dinner together. I’d definitely go back to this place!

Man, what a post! Kittens, dogs, pizza. The trifecta of happiness.

QUESTION: Are you getting kitten fever?

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Jun 102013
 

Have you ever had one of those weekends where you never seem to sit down and relax? That pretty much describes the bulk of my weekend. Michael and I were dog sitting for his sister Friday night and Saturday morning so we went over to her house to feed the dogs, let them out and play with them. It was so much fun!

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They were super cute and excited to be let outside for a bit. So on Saturday, we played with the dogs, I went to the gym, got a pedicure with a friend, spent a couple hours gardening, went spirits tasting, grocery shopping and then home to make pizza. Exhausted yet?

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I had a Living Social deal for Eastside Distillery–a tasting and tour for two including some salted caramels (yum1!). It was a busy place when we got there. I didn’t know we had to make a reservation so we didn’t get to do the tour, bummer, but we did get a tasting. There were two vodkas, two rums and four bourbons.

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We got 4 tasting each and that was the limit. I tried the two vodkas and the two rums. I LOVED the coffee rum. That’s what I ended up buying. I cannot wait to give it a try! The coffee rum didn’t need anything. It could totally be served over ice and that would be good.

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Since Michael is a whiskey fan, he tasted the bourbons. There was a bourbon infused with Oregon Bing cherries. It wasn’t quite as thick and sweet as a liqueur but close. The distillery was really cool. It was in a warehouse with half of it converted to a tasting room.

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They also served a mini cocktail mix–you had a choice, the ginger vodka lemonade, the coffee rum drink with milk, or a Bloody Mary. I went with the Bloody Mary because I was considering buying their mix. It was tasty! I could really taste the cilantro they added to the mix.

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After the tasting, we bought some more soil so I could finish up the garden and the fixings for pizza. It’s been so long since we’ve made our own pizza and then with Michael going gluten-free it kind of went by the wayside. Michael bought some gluten free pizza mix from Bob’s Red Mill.

The dough was sticky and not as elastic as the regular pizza dough. It wasn’t necessarily difficult to work with, just difficult to keep together and in a shape resembling a pizza. But it doesn’t have to look pretty, it just has to taste good! I topped the pizza with fresh mozzarella, spicy ground sausage, roma tomatoes and a mixture of fresh rosemary, oregano and basil from my garden.

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The crust was REALLY good. I was impressed. I had low expectations because gluten-free anything is often disappointing. I was not disappointed by this pizza. I loved it! It tasted just like regular pizza, the crust had a little crisp to it–almost like a cracker but not that crispy–and the flavors were fantastic.

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The pizza was a great finish to the very, very busy day I had. We relaxed and watched a couple episodes of Homeland before crashing. On Sunday I finished up the last bits of my garden. I wanted to plant some flowers as well as the veggies and herbs I usually do. I found some huge pots in the shed that we’ve never used so I filled a few of those.

The Garden Tour:

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From left to right: pineapple sage, oregano, basil and rosemary. With one lone marigold to shoo away the aphids. The sage and oregano are from last year and I had to trim them back a lot to thin out the overgrowth.

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Blue Salvia and Starlette Dianthus. I tried to buy perennials because I hate wasting money on flowers that bloom for a month or two and then die and never come back! Of course we got jalapenos, too:

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I wanted to try some new things this year. I got a Purple bell pepper, brussels sprouts, and straightneck squash. The squash isn’t supposed to take over the whole garden (supposedly) but time will tell. I have no idea what to do with the Brussels sprouts so I need to research that.

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Finally, I got two plants I’ve wanted for a long time: Russian Sage and a sunflower. I put both in pots because I know from experience the Russian Sage takes over everything. I am so happy that I got a sunflower! They are my favorite flower and it’s so nice being able to look outside in the garden and see it.

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Even though it was one of the busiest, craziest weekends, I’m still happy I got so much accomplished. Some friend time, some chore time, the garden is looking really great and I can’t wait to spend my summer relaxing out there! But honestly, after spending such a busy weekend never sitting down to relax makes me want another weekend to recover from my weekend…

QUESTION: Do you have a garden this year? What did you plant?

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