No Knead Bread

One of the breads Dan makes is Jim Lahey's (of Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC) No Knead Bread.

It looks great & tastes even better.

Want the recipe? Click here. :)

Update on Rooster

She had her echo-cardiogram today and the results are good. The radiologist confirmed that her left atrium is mildly enlarged, it's not a pulmonary issue (they thought this may be an issue because of her breathing) and there is no fluid in the lungs. The heart didn't look as enlarged today and they believe the reason for that is that the medications are working! That is such great news to hear! The radiologist recommended another echo-cardiogram in 6 months. We are keeping her on 2 medications (Pimobendan & Enalapril) and changing her diet (and Bear's too) to a low-sodium diet. We are thinking about making them their food from now on ...like a Doggy Casserole (chicken, brown rice, peas & carrots, chicken broth) or we might go with an all natural kibble. :)

Thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers, vibes and kind words. ((Hugs)) from Sissy & me.

Getting Crafty

For Christmas Dan bought me a lot of crafting tools. I'd been wanting to try my hand at crafting for awhile, but when I received the gifts I was a little overwhelmed with everything and didn't know where to start. This month I finally got the courage to start somewhere and I made some cards. They aren't the greatest, but perfection takes time. :) I really enjoy making them though. I find it very relaxing and so far my favorite technique is Dry Embossing.

Next month my mom & I will be taking a Sewing Boot Camp (4 classes). If my projects (pillow, tote & pajama pants) turn out okay, I'll be sharing what we make in class.

Here are some of my creations:

My mom's birthday card

(Flocked)

The envelope for my mom's card

(Dry embossed)

V-day card for my hubster

(Stamped, Dry Embossed & Flocked)

My poor Sissy Roo

A few months ago we learned that both Baby Dan and Sissy have heart murmurs. A lot of small dogs develop heart murmurs. We were told just to watch for any changes and report back to the veterinarian for any concerns. For the past week we have noticed Sissy has been coughing more frequently and her breathing has changed dramatically. We took her to the vet on Friday, the vet performed an x-ray on her and we were informed that she now has an enlarged heart. :`( She's on 2 medications now and we will see how these work for her.

It just breaks our heart that our little girl is going through this. It just makes us more aware that our "kids" are getting older (they will be 14 this May) and that they may not be with us for too many more years. They are our family, our babies and our whole world. Our lives would be so different and simply not the same without them being apart of our day. We know that there are a lot of dogs on these medications that end up living for many more years. We just want our girl to be okay. We've just got to stay positive.

The radiologist is going to exam Sissy's most recent x-ray and decide if another echo-cardiogram needs to be done based on what he sees.