9.23.2008

Saline Animal League

Featuring Tom Trott!

Tom Trott is currently seeking a loving family to adopt him and give him a good home. He is very lovable and playful and would make a great addition to any type of family.

Ellen and I have had our eye on Tom Trott for quite a while now. We just fell in love with this cat one day while we were cleaning the cat room at the Marshall Animal Shelter. He is quite mischievous and a lot of fun to be around. I was out taking pictures to put on the Petfinder website and just had to add Tom Trott to the site. I am going to log in to Saline Animal Leagues page on Petfinder a little later and see if I cant update the web page a little. It has been the same for as long as I can remember and is due for a change. I hope I don't mess anything up!!!

9.17.2008

La Boheme


Carl & I are taking the girls to see their first opera tonight, La Boheme. The following information about the opera was taken off the Lyric Opera website:
La Boheme
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Liberetto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
Sung in Italian with English subtitles

In one of the most popular and romantic operas ever written, bleak winter weather can't cool young love's passion. Puccini's masterpiece has inspired audiences for more than 100 years with its glorious melodies illuminating the eternal story of starving bohemians and star-crossed lovers in the Latin quarter of Paris. Don't forget your tissues! Sometimes love can't cure all.
Carl and I are pretty excited...I think the girls are more excited about going to Chipotle before the opera! Ill be sure to write about how they liked/disliked it.

9.16.2008

Atticus - My Sweet German Shepherd

Atticus somehow wound up at an Animal Shelter in Concordia MO. I dont understand who could give this dog up or at the very least, look for him if he was lost. From what I was told, he was on the "kill list" at the other shelter because they had deemed him unadoptable due to his uncertain behavior. Someone from our organization adopted him from this other shelter and brought him to Marshall Animal Shelter to save him. THANK GOODNESS!!! It was in the Marshall Shelter that I walked in, to take some pictures for the website, when I noticed Atticus (then named Houdini). That first day, I took some pictures of him to send to the German Shepherd Rescue group in MO and I admit, I was a little scared of him out in the yard. He wasnt too sure of me, and I wasnt too sure of him.....but neither of us bit the other one, so it all worked out. I brought Carl in to see him the next day. Carl is very good with bigger dogs, that may be slightly aggressive. He is strong, and patient, and soft spoken, and the dogs eventually learn to trust him. I told Carl that he should work with this dog to help him become more adoptable....I secretly hoped Carl would fall in love with him and bring him home.....Didnt happen :( Carl did like him and enjoyed working with him, but thought 2 big dogs in the house would be too many. We learned right away that Atticus could sit, shake and would stay for as long as Carl asked him to. Someone had worked with this dog.....where were they? ...did they miss him? I couldnt help but wonder.

We held Atticus at the shelter for a week to await the response from the German Shepherd Rescue. When Sheila heard back from them, they stated that they were pretty full and he was more light colored than most of the dogs they normally accept. Did this mean that he is less of a German Shepherd? I wish I could have talked to them myself. He is obviously full blooded German Shepherd.....just look at him. Anyway...this was great news to me. By this time, after working with him every day for over a week, I really felt myself drawn to him. I work with a lot of dogs and there are very few that I really feel a close connection to. Not that I dont care for each one, because I do...each dog is special in its own way...but this dog was special to me....it was more personal. I cant really explain it any better than that. I was concerned for Atti's welfare...I didnt want him to be adopted to just anyone. He is too good of a dog to go somewhere where he will be chained to a tree and never loved or taught new things. (This makes me sound like I think some dogs ARE meant to be chained to a tree...that isnt true...I really hate chains and hate it when dogs arent allowed to run around...but I cant save the world) I used this argument to convince Carl to foster him. I felt that once he came home and Carl got used to him being there that he surely couldnt take him back to the shelter. ...I was right!
Carl adopted Atticus about 2 weeks later. He adopted him to be his dog...to train him and take him everywhere. We soon realized that Atticus loves us so much that he wants to protect us.....and doesnt want anyone else to come in to our house, or near us. Atticus now thinks he is my dog...he follows me everywhere, if I go down to put laundry in the dryer, Atticus goes down beside me. If I go to the bathroom, he waits outside the door for me. He sleeps on my side of the bed every night....He is my dog. Carl used to be a little upset about this but he has Isolde now, so he is getting over it.

9.14.2008

Delicious Spinach Quiche




I made a wonderful spinach quiche for dinner tonight. I have never made a quiche before but have always wanted to. I dug around in the refrigerator and found some broccoli, mozzerella & cheddar cheeses, and an onion and knew I had the beginning of a great dinner. I only had one pie pan and wanted to make 2 quiches so I improvised and used one small round cake pan for the second. The recipe for one is as follows:

1 pie crust

2T butter

1/2 onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 cups chopped fresh broccoli

1 1/2 cups different cheeses (whatever you have on hand)

3 eggs

1 cup milk ( I used 1/2 milk, 1/2 whipping cream)

1 T melted butter

salt/pepper to taste

Place pie crust in pie pan. Melt 2 T butter in saucepan on med. low heat...add onion, garlic & broccoli and saute until veggies are tender. Lightly press cheese in bottom of pie crust ( this helps prevent crust from becoming soggy ). When broccoli mix is done, spread on top of cheese. In small bowl, beat eggs and stir in milk and 1 T melted butter. Pour over broccoli mix and bake @ 350 for about 30 to 35 minutes.



I served this quiche with crescent rolls and the kids loved it! Here is a picture after we were finished with dinner.... only one little piece left!

Bon Appetit!





9.11.2008

Dog Blog

Ellen made a webpage for our dachshund Newton on Dogster...if you would like to make one for your dog visit this site: because everyone knows dogs LOVE to blog!!!

9.09.2008

Quilt Pinwheels

Its been a little over a week since my last blog.....Ive missed it. My Dad had neck surgery last week...they had to put in 2 cadaver bones and a titanium plate in his neck. He is doing great! He was ready to go home that afternoon but the Dr. wouldnt let him. It was nice to be able to see everyone...it has been a while.
Aunt Shirley invited me and the girls to a bluegrass festival in late September then we are all going to get together out in Galesburg for a bonfire and family reunion type thing. Its been a long time since we have done that. This will be a lot of fun. Carl's team has to work Nascar that weekend so he wont be able to go :( I really wish he could meet my family.
Madi has been practicing bluegrass songs that she can sing at the reunion. Uncle Leon wrote down some guitar notes for her to learn before the reunion too. She is doing a good job practicing. She should be able to learn the guitar pretty easily due to our musical background.
I started my quilt yesterday. My dad bought a couple of quilting magazines for me and I picked a really nice quilt out of the magazine to attempt to put together. It is a beginners quilt but will take quite a bit of time to finish. I made pinwheels yesterday...I finished 6 pinwheels and the pattern calls for 90...so I still have a ways to go. Ill charge my camera batteries today and take some pics of the pinwheels...theyre really cute.




Thats all for now.....ciao