Tag Archives: hostessing with the mostessing

These are a few of my favorite posts…

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and doggies in spacesuits, rescuing puppies and cats that are so cute… the cone of shame and the amusement it brings… these are a few of my favorite things. (I adore The Sound of Music, and it just seemed like a perfect fit today.)  When I saw that Dr. V did a post highlighting her top 10 posts from 2010, I really liked the idea.  Even better, she’s hosting a blog hop for those who want to join the fun.  Time for a blast to the (fairly recent) past!

Dogs eating ice cream and punny pet names, attempting to test my pup’s IQ with a brain game, having a party for Bella to host… these are a few of my favorite posts (in no particular order):

She’s cute, but…
I administered an IQ test to dear Bella… the results were not promising.

Celebrating the cone of shame
The name says it all.  (It was one of my favorite No Frown Friday posts.)

To all the dogs (and cats) I’ve loved before
For my 100th post, I took a stroll down memory lane.

Corgi, P.I.
The very first breed spotlight.

Protecting people and their pets
A post about the Pets and Women’s Shelter Program (and my contribution to October’s Blog the Change).

My favorite flavor? Neopawlitan
The epic battle of Bella vs. ice cream.

Head of the class
Dogs… in… school!

When he jumps high he flies like a wild eagle
One word: Flashbeagle.

Horrible woman does terrible thing, and now I’m angry
In which I got very, very angry at people who leave their dogs in hot cars.

Case of the Mondays?
Try my guaranteed cure.

I tried not to pick any that were too recent… I figured it would be more fun to dig around in the archives.  Did I miss any of your favorites?

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So… now what?

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Peanuts
(via Peanuts)

I think Snoopy’s predicament above accurately represents how I feel the day after a big holiday. Planning, preparation, anticipation… and then it’s over, just like that.  I made some yummy cranberry sauce muffins this morning to help fill the void.  Now I need a new project…

In the meantime, it’s time for this week’s No Frown Friday:

  1. Your punny pet names for the week reveal that I still haven’t accepted the fact that Thanksgiving is over: Myles Foodish and William Labford.  (For my fellow pun lovers, you simply must read last Sunday’s Pearls Before Swine. Can you figure it out?)
  2. Want to see something amazingly adorable? Check out these photos of dogs dressed as turkeys.  All will seem right with the world after you do.
  3. Don’t eat too many leftovers… or else this might be your fate.  (Not sure what to do with all of those leftovers?  Serious Eats has some ideas.)
  4. Did you cook a turkey yesterday? I hope that you weren’t the one that asked these stupid questions of the Butterball hotline.

Speaking of turkey, this puppy would really appreciate it if you could send some her way:



(For more videos of dogs who want turkey, go here.)

Anyway, I’m finally going to see the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows tomorrow.  I know… after my recent Potter-themed post, I bet you thought I’d be first in line on opening day.  Unfortunately, things have just been too busy.  In honor of my pending movie trip, I made my own butterbeer to go with dessert last  night – it was a hit (and unlike Universal Studios, I offered an alcoholic version as well). 

As I write this post, the peace talks between Roscoe and Bella have reached a new level – they’re both sleeping on the couch at the same time (dreaming of turkey, no doubt).  Expect some photos and a recap after Bella’s hostessing duties are done.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Remember our buddy Roscoe?  He’s visiting us for a few days.  If you’ll recall, Bella wasn’t very hospitable last time he came to visit.  This time?  So far, so good…

I am thankful for many things today, including the Bella-Roscoe Thanksgiving Peace Treaty of 2010.

Have a wonderful holiday!

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Chamber of Treats

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If you’re like me, you’ve been counting down the days until you can see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  It’s just around the corner now – November 19.  With that in mind, today’s No Frown Friday is dedicated to my favorite wizards:

  1. As always, we begin with punny pet names: Hairy Plotthound, Grrr-mione Granger, and Ron Fleasley. (Of course, they study at Dogwarts with headmaster Albus Puppledore and were placed into Gryffindor by the Sorting Cat.)
  2. If you’d prefer a non-punny name, you can find inspiration in the books. (Even more available here.)
  3. There are some gorgeous Harry Potter cakes on display at Cake Wrecks – enjoy the eye candy.  (Eye confections?)
  4. Thinking of throwing a Harry Potter-themed party?  Check out these cool party ideas – for that extra something, you could also ask your dog to dress as Fang or Hedwig.
  5. Speaking of the animal stars of these films, check out this quiz about the wild stars of Oscar-nominated films.

Have you ever watched the Starz Bunnies version of Harry Potter?  I present to you the crew’s first five years at Hogwarts:

Want more?  Go watch Part II.  After that, have some fun with these Sorting Hat Out-Takes.

Have a woofy wizarding weekend!  (One option? Get your pup his own invisibility cloak.)

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A cosmo with the gals

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So, I checked out Sex and the City 2 this weekend with the gals… honestly, given some of the reviews I had read, I was expecting the worst.  (However, a review I read after I’d already seen the movie is probably my favorite.  The thesis?  Sex and the City is our Star Wars.)

It had some funny moments, but it was definitely a far cry from what made the series so great.  (Full disclosure – I’m a super fan and own all 6 seasons on DVD.)  In the past, it’s been said that NYC is the fifth character… I’d have to agree.  While I have to admit I loved the guest appearance by Liza with a Z (not Lisa with an S, ’cause Lisa with an S goes ssss not zzzz), I never quite got into the part of the movie set in Abu Dhabi.  It’s not quite Sex and the City without the City, really.  In addition, the characters seem to have less depth than ever before… at times I felt like I was watching a broad parody of the series, rather than a continuation of it.  (There was one scene with Miranda and Charlotte that I really loved, but I won’t spoil it for anyone.)  Where were the smart and funny ladies I enjoyed watching on TV?  I miss them.

In any event… although I didn’t love it, it was still a nice chance to get together with the gals.  So in honor of girls’ nights everywhere (of which I’m sure SATC2 inspired many), I thought I’d share the recipe for White Cosmos that some friends and I enjoyed during a recent girls’ night in.  We tweaked a recipe that I found on the Hostess with the Mostess blog, and the results were delicious!

Orange Overload White Cosmos
(adapted from HTWM)

1/2 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
1/2 oz lime juice
1 oz orange Stoli or other orange vodka (or 2 oz for a stronger cocktail)
2 oz white cranberry-peach juice

Pour all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker, shake well and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange spiral.

Enjoy!

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Going to the chapel…

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It’s almost June, and wedding season is upon us. In fact, I’ll be attending my first wedding of the season this weekend. With that in mind, this week’s No Frown Friday has a matrimonial theme:

  1. This week’s punny pet names are inspired by famous wedding dress designers: Vera Fang and Monique Droolier.
  2. Maybe our two esteemed dogsigners (dog designers?) above made the clothing for these puppy wedding photos (complete with tips for any budding dog wedding photographers out there).  These pups are all decked out for the big day; however, if your dog’s not the formal type, there’s always this tuxedo t-shirt.
  3. Can I go back in time and use one of these dog wedding cake toppers on my wedding cake?  I am kind of amazed that I didn’t realize these were out there, and even more amazed that I didn’t insist our cake have mini-Bellas on top.  (Bonus:  Here’s another slideshow of 15 adorable cake toppers – only one of which is pup-related.)
  4. Weddings are beautiful… the supreme expression of that beautiful sentiment that one must put rings on things one likes.  Ergo, here’s a puppy doing the Single Ladies dance.

I love how bored he looks.

What have we learned?  Always carry a supply of those rings from the carnival ring toss game, and throw them at things you like.  (For larger items, consider hula hoops.)  Under the Sasha Fierce Accord of 2008, those things are then yours.  Anyway, have a fantastic weekend, my fellow pup fans.

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Bella needs to work on her hostessing skills

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This past weekend, Bella had the opportunity to play hostess. My dad and sister came to visit and brought along their pup, Roscoe.  Bella and Roscoe had not met before, and Bella hasn’t had any puppy sleepovers in the new house.  We weren’t sure how it would go – Bella was definitely not happy when a strange puppy arrived at her house on Friday night. After Roscoe got used to Bella and being in our house, he was able to relax. He’s a pretty sweet guy.

The photo at right photo sums up Bella’s initial reaction to having an intruder in her house.

We achieved a shaky peace on Saturday, and by Sunday Bella was even letting Roscoe play with some of her toys.  Like Bella, toys are no match for his powers of destruction.  (Speaking of vigorous chewers, there’s an interesting discussion going on at PetSugar regarding the best toys for chewers.  We’ve had a great deal of luck with these Tuffy Toys.  Bella loves them, and they last much longer than any other toys we’ve tried. At left is a shot of her with her current favorite, the sting ray – or as the hub calls it, the bicycle seat.)
She has a number of these toys… and she gave Roscoe quite the look when he was playing with one of them.  Bella was a bit wary of his presence, but she eventually adapted.  However, she did seem pretty happy when she was once again the only dog in the house.

The end.
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Brunch for a bunch

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I hosted a brunch for some girlfriends this weekend.  I made way too much food (as usual) – and that was even after I scrapped two or three of the items on my original menu.  In any event, although I found myself with more leftovers than I’d originally planned, I think everything turned out quite well.  Here’s a shot of the partially completed table (I got busy and forgot to take a shot of the whole spread… bad blogger!):

 

The picture above showcases the cake pops that I made (with assistance from my sister).  I was inspired by Bakerella.  Her treats are definitely more ornate than mine, but I figured that the first time I made them I should probably keep it simple.  Once decorated in yellow and pink, the cake pops (plus some mums) gave the whole table a nice springtime vibe.  For this batch, I used Funfetti cake mix and rainbow chip icing.  They were a bit rich – next time I may try to make red velvet or chocolate.  Yum.

I love planning menus… it’s always fun to come up with a theme, find some new recipes to try, and pull a party together.  I have never hosted a brunch before, so I brainstormed with a colleague at work and used my Google-fu to find some ideas.  I’m pretty proud of this menu, if I do say so myself – I think it was a hit!  If you’re interested, here’s the menu (recipes linked where available):

To sum up, I love brunch.  That is all.

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