5 Deadly Terms Used By Women

5 DEADLY TERMS USED BY WOMEN. 
(I saw this on my friend's facebook page earlier and couldn't help but laugh and repost!)


(1) FINE -this is the word women use to end an argument when they know they are right and you need to SHUT UP. 
(2) NOTHING -means SOMETHING & you need to be WORRIED 
(3) GO AHEAD -this is a dare, not permission. DO NOT DO IT. 
(4) WHATEVER -is a woman's way of saying: SCREW YOU.
(5) THAT'S OK -she is thinking long & hard on HOW & WHEN you will pay for your mistake.

We Did It!! Registered Therapy Team!

    (We're officially a Registered Therapy Team through Delta Society, Intermountain Therapy Animals, & Mid-South Therapy Dogs & Friends! Ya!)

                                  
On Sunday March 20th, Ranger and I sat for our PPSAT test through Delta Society, and I'm thrilled to say that we passed! We are officially a registered therapy team! Out of the nine dogs tested that day, only Ranger and our friend's dog passed (I'm glad they told me about that little statistic AFTER we tested, otherwise I would have been a nervous wreck lol!) 


It's been a fun and crazy journey so far as his handler, and I'm soo excited to see what the future holds as far as our therapy visits go. We will be working with Delta Society, Mid-South Therapy Dogs, and Intermountain Therapy Animals. I hope that Ranger is able to bring as much joy and happiness into the lives of the clients we will visit as he already brings into my life! He is such a sweet boy and I am such a proud puppy momma this week! He turned 1 yr old in January and he has already passed Puppy, Intermediate, and Advanced Obedience classes as well as Beginner Agility, his CGC test, and now his PPSAT test. We are currently training him in a more intense Advanced Obedience class right now and he is starting up Intermediate Agility as well as Rally Obedience soon. I also plan to start competing him in the future for Obedience, Rally, and Agility titles; I absolutely love the bonding experiences that the different training classes and such offer us. The thing I really love about Australian Shepherds is that they are sort of a "jack of all trades"; any job you give them, they absolutely love and seem to thrive at with proper guidance!


In a bit of exciting news, later today Ranger, and I are taking a road trip to Missouri to scout out potential Therapy Dog #2 from Ranger's breeder!! I'm soo excited! (We were going to take Macy with us also, but the vet didn't think  it would be wise to take her that far from home with her heart conditions, so my sister will be checking on her while we are gone). If all goes well and the right pup is there, will be adding a third pup to our pack! (The timing couldn't be better either, since I'm planning to move into a nice rental house when my lease is up....can we say "fenced in back yard"?!?!) Hopefully Macy will be a calm, loving example for the new pup, and Ranger will teach it all about therapy work and competition! If we bring one home, I will be sure to post lots of pictures for you lovely blog readers! :)

John 6:27

(Our homemade potato salad! Soo yummy!)

"Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal."

~John 6:27~

What a great verse! Every morning when I wake up I like to read a Bible verse; sometimes this is in the forum of  an application on my cell phone. This was the daily Bible verse for this morning and I thought it was quite appropriate! 

This week is my nephew Cooper's spring break, so he has been spending the night with me since Saturday. Last night/today we have been doing one of our favorite activities: Cooking (and laboring around the kitchen slicing, dicing, and all sorts of things, just having a great time). Last night we made my Aunt Syliva's homemade potato salad recipe and some smoothies. A little background on that potato salad recipe: my grandfather used to own a Kosher deli & meat market in the Memphis area years ago and this is the recipe that my Aunt Sylivia used to prepare for their customers! In addition to last nights recipes, this afternoon we started in on a homemade spaghetti and meatball recipe that I've been wanting to try out (Katie Lee's recipe). This recipe is fantastic and almost has a bruschetta taste to it; delicious! How appropriate is it that in the midst of our culinary adventures, we're reminded by God that we should also be focusing on the bigger picture. :)

New Fruit Topping!

So tonight I spoke with my Cousin Barton for a while. (He's actually my father's first cousin and like a second father to me). Among the myrid of our conversation pieces (dogs, politics, weather, and such) I mentioned that I had picked up some fresh fruit at the grocery store yesterday.(Since most of their produce left something to be desired, I decided on a pre mixed fruit cup that had strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.) He mentioned that my Aunt Sylvia used to mix sour cream and sugar together and put it on top of her fresh fruit. Being a recipe junkie, I thought I'd give it a try. It was delicious!!!!

So, new fruit topper recipe is simple:  I eyeballed my ingredients, but for reference it looks to be about 1 tablespoon Sour Cream + 1 teaspoon Sugar : mix it together and the voila! You have a delightful fruit topping that is to die for! I'm also thinking at if you add a pinch of vanilla, kaluah, vanilla liquor, or even orange juice to the mixture that it would be quite delicious!

Wordless Wednesday

(My dad had an open house the other day and bought some flowers to decorate with. He was nice and brought them over to my apartment today since he was done with them. I thought it was a sweet surprise. :) )

Dust Bunnies, Be Gone!

I'll preface this by saying that I have 3 cats and  two dogs. (Two dogs that shed quite a bit despite daily brushings, premium food, and regular baths! I think I've tried everything...) I typically vaccume my apartment every day, if not every other day to keep this place nice and tidy and to keep everyone healthy. My mom has owned her own cleaning business since I was a baby, so I definitely grew up a bit of a neat freak haha. This week I got a little busy and let things slide however. It has now been 4 days since I vaccumed my apartment and now you'd think that some mega dust bunnies had rolled into town and took a leisurely trip throughout my apartment. ICK!  I love my furbabies, but I prefer their fur stay on them and off of my carpet! So, I suppose I'll be devoting part of today to a little deep cleaning of the apartment...time to break out the Dyson and get to work!

(For those of you in the market for a new vaccume, I've had my Dyson for 3 years now and it is the only vaccume I will ever use from now on! Mine was a gift several years ago, but I will defintiely say it's worth every penny and I've never had issues with mine! I definitely think it's worth if if you have pets or allergies/asthma! The model that I have is a Dyson Animal DC 17 and it picks up EVERYTHING!) 

Cheese Please!

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a cheese freak...I'm obsessed with the stuff actually! (This might not be my best obsession considering I'm Lactose Intolerant haha). I am always trying out new cheeses when I visit the grocery store.) Several months ago while I was at Costco of all places, I discovered my new favorite: Dubliner by Kerrygold! It's AMAZING! It is a delicious snack when you chop it and pair it with whole wheat crackers, wine, or fresh fruit. It also mixes incredably well into homemade alfredo sauces, makes an amazing mixture with onion, garlic, and bell peppers for stuffed chicken, and is an amazing topping when you mince it up with blue cheese and broil steak or chicken with it...yummy! (It also makes amazing dips,etc...the options are endless with this gem of a gourmet cheese!) For my local blog readers, I've bought this at Costco and Kroger. (It's pretty inexpensive too! Remember that with a lot of gourmet cheeses, a little goes a long way ;) ) Enjoy!

Dubliner Cheese Link

Compliments. Perfume. Confusion. Laughter.

So tonight while I was leaving a store, this nice lady who held the door open for me had them most amazing perfume on! I complimented her on her perfume and asked her what the fragrance was called. Her reply?? "Black Woman" (Considering she was a black woman, I wasn't sure if she was joking or serious, so I just kind of stood there a little unsure what to say to that one hahaha). My uncertainty was ended however when she busted out laughing and said she gets the same reaction from everyone who asks! Apparently, her perfume is indeed called by that name! I'm a bit of a perfum whore, so I always like trying out new scents and asking others what they're wearing. Tonight I found yummy new scent as well as a few laughs from a friendly stranger. For those of you curious, the perfum is called "Black Woman" Sean John.

Best Commercial!

I LOVE this Subaru commercial! Not only does it make me laugh, it totally fits the bill that the mischevious dog throwing the snowball is an Australian Shepherd like my Ranger lol! (I also think the black dog in the car looks a little bit like my Macy dog, even down to the pink collar and the motherly bark). This commercial cracks me up everytime I see it on tv. Enjoy! :)

Word of the Day: Indubitably!

For lack of a better post idea, I thought I'd post my favorite word as today's special "word of the day". Today's word of the day is: "Indubitably". It means, "without a doubt".  Not only is it the best and most incredible word EVER created in the English language, it is also very fun to say! Indubitably, Indubitably, Indubitably! Doesn't it make you smile?!

It is also fun to use that word in response to a text message instead of other adjectives. If you want to go for even more pizazz, try adding in a British accent and then using it. Funny, huh?

Here's the prim and proper definition: Merriam Webster

Now here's my favorite online dictionary's definition:  Urban Dictionary


Now, don't you feel smart? The best part is that you now have a fun, new word to use! Instead of using a simple "yes" to agree with someone today, use the term "indubitably", and say it with a straight face while the other person around you laughs!

Upgraded!

After two years, I was finally eligable to upgrade my cell phone to something a little less dinosaur-y today with my Sprint upgrade! Ya!! If it's possible to be in love with a cell phone, call me head over heels!! So without further adiou, meet the new technological "love" in my life! :

HTC EVO SHIFT 4G

(Mine is sporting a purple case ;) )

For those of you curious, here's the break down of all the details



Random Review Thursday:

So today I thought it would be a fun change of pace to review a few of my new favorite things. All of these make me smile and best yet, all of these are budget friendly!




1. TEA DUCKIE: TEA INFUSER

The first item on today's review is this little beauty: It's a Tea Duckie tea infuser. How stinkin cute is this?!?! I'm not a huge coffee drinker; I prefer good teas. I especially love loose-leaf teas as they typically have more flavor to  them. My old diffuser broke recently, so I had added a new diffuser to my mental shopping list. When I was at Cracker Barrel with my mom for dinner on Saturday night, we did a bit of browsing after our meal, that's when I found this little gem of an infuser! I LOVE it. Not only is it adorable floating in my cup of tea, it does a very good job of infusing the loose leaf tea and bringing out a rich flavor! It is also quite easy to clean which is another perk!

2. Italian Pet Spa Italian Honey and Lavender Daily Spritz (by Prince Lorenzo Borghese). The above picture is of their shampoo (equally amazing), but the fragrance bottle looks similar.I LOVE my dogs; I do not however love it when they have that musky dog (Disghusting) smell on them after they go for a walk or trip to the dog park. So, this is a wonderful compromise; it is tearless, moisturizing, pet safe, and leaves their coats shiny and soft!  Everytime I take their leashes off, I spritz a bit of this on their coats and they smell absolutely delicious! Best yet? My apartment doesn't smell like dogs. I have a few other favorite fragrances, but this is my new fav! (Best yet, the last time I went to Petco, they had both the shampoo and the spray discounted!)

3. Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir- I've been absolutely dying to get ahold of this perfum ever since late November when I caught a wiff of it in Cosmopolitan. It is aaaaaahhhhmazing! The only issue is that during December with Christmas time and what not, every single place I tried was sold out! Macy's Estee Lauder botiques, Sephoria, even amazon and other online sites....sold out! Ugg! Well, fret not...I found it!! On a recent trip with my best friend to Ulta, low and behold they had it! I was pretty much estatic!! It smells amazing and is definietly a great new signature fragrance!

4.O.P.I. Drip Dry - this may be the most amazing way to dry nail polish yet! Try it; this amazing little gem works like a charm and it's super fast too!!! You just add 1-2 drops of this over your topcoat of polish and it makes the nail polish dry quickly without chipping. Love it!

5. Woodwick: Applewood- It's no secret to my friends/family that I absolutely adore anything apple scented! This candle happens to be one of my favorite! It smells Ahhhhhhh-mazing! I don't have a fireplace, so I absolutely adore the crackling noise that the wooden wick produces when you light the Applewood candle. YUMMY! (In other news, Woodwick candles recently came out with some new scents! Ya!!! My new favorite is their 'Bakery Cupcake'...ohh my goodness!!)

In honor of Valentines Day:

In honor of Valentines Day, I leave you lovely readers with one of my favorite cheesy love songs. Enjoy!

"You Send Me" - Sam Cooke

Vino

So this week I actually discovered a red wine that I absolutely love, not just tolerate. A little background, I'm a fairly light drinker and have pretty much been a non-existant one since my heart surgery and the complications that went along with that. (While I do enjoy an occassional glass, I do have a few self-imposed rules:  I never drink if I'm angry, sad, or in a bad mood. None for me whatsoever if I have to drive (that should be a no-brainer, but for a lot of people unforunately, it isn't). I also refuse to drink around anyone that I know admittedly has drinking issue; no need to to influence someone in a negative way.. ) Anyways, during a recent trip to my doctor, I was FINALLY told that a glass with dinner on occassion would be safe now, so that was welcome news! 


While Jack and I visited with our friends at their apartment, my sweet friend, Gina gave me a glass of the most delicious red wine! It was not bitter, and it didn't leave a nasty aftertaste like many do. (I'm a white wine kind of girl). I aboslutely loved this red though, so I thought I'd pass on the suggestion for those of you who like an occassional glass. I think it would also be a nice wine to incorporate with a good recipe as far as cooking goes too! I will definitely be trying this one out in a nice red wine cream spaghetti sauce (I'm thinking something along the lines with roma tomatoes, bell peppers, brown sugar, onion, garlic, meat, asiago, cream, block parm and gouda, and fresh herbs wish a few splashes of wine: I'll post pictures and the ingredients I decide on when I decide to make spaghetti again and try on this wine in it). I think it would also be a nice addition to a beef stew recipe or a great chicken/steak marinade!


And the winner is: Yellow Tail's Cabernet Sauvignon! Now, those of you who are legal and enjoy wine: GO BUY SOME NOW! Not only is it delicious; it's also inexpensive, which is great for those of you who enjoy an occassional drink but also watch your spending like I do!


                                                 ~CHEERS!~

Welcome to the world, sweet baby girl!!

Baby Kendall on her way home for the first time. How precious is this sweet little angel?!?!

On Monday, my niece Jackie and her husband Daniel welcomed their first little one into the world! They are such a sweet couple and are going to make such great parents! Kendall Ann Larkin (leaving the last name out to be safe) was born 6lbs 11oz, and 19.5" on Monday afternoon. As her great aunt, I might just be partial, but she is one of the most beautiful babies I've ever seen! I aboslutely adore being an aunt and I can't wait to spoil this new little one rotten! I'm planning a trip to visit them once they get settled in; I can't wait to meet my sweet new great niece and hold her!

(For those of you who keep up with my rather large family, that puts the new nice/nephew count at 14! I love being an aunt and getting to share my life with all of them!  :)

~ Terri, Jackie, Sydney (Blake), Taylor, Isaac, Cooper, Kianna, Leedora, James, Jessica  (those are my nieces/nephews and foster nieces) and then there are Kaitlynn, Alexandrea, Brayden, and now little Kendall - those are the great nieces/nepehws!~