Necklace Madness

I bought a necklace yesterday. So that means today I broke out the camera and tortured the puppies. Don't worry, they were rewarded heavily in cookies - as usual.

prettiest collar ever

 catching Vi's good side

 tiara?

 Getting impatient for cookies

 Sadie's turn!

 Irritated. Cookie now?

 Stoic Sadie

 Sadie puts up with a lot

 More evidence of the intense amount of patience Sadie has

Puppies In Hats

I like putting stuff on my dogs heads. They have pretty cute heads so who can blame me?

One day I may make a book. It will be filled with photos of me putting stuff on their heads.

Now in my defense I did not buy these hats. A friend loaned them to me :)

The girls have a couple of grampas they are dedicating this sign to.

Pretty in Orange

Ready for some tea and crumpets

We don't wanna play this game no more

Violet really hates this game

It took a lot of bribery to get her to hold her head up

I get the "please dont beat me" eyes a lot with hats

Biker Chick

How can you resist this face? Seriously.

Blushing Bell (or embarrassed puppy, whatever)

Violet tries her best - she really does. But she hates these hats.

It just blows my mind that there are people who are actually afraid of these dogs because of the way they look.

Fruit Bars

Rumor has it these are tasty. I haven't had one yet so I'll have to trust Rob on that one. I hope my coworkers are hungry.

 

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12 ounce) jar strawberry preserves - use whatever fruit preserves you are in the mood for. I wanted raspberry but they were out.

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel. Combine 3 cups flour, almonds, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (do not over mix).
2. Set aside 1 cup of dough. Press the remaining dough into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Spread preserves to within 1/4 in. of edges. Combine the reserved dough with the remaining flour; sprinkle over preserves. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars. 

Original Recipe found here - I didn't change it much when I made these. 
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/springtime-strawberry-bars/detail.aspx

Manzanita Vacation

Well it's that time again - for our yearly Oregon coast vacation. We had a good time as usual. The girls had a blast. Violet would have loved it more if every trip to the beach didn't end in a bath.

Day 1
We stopped in Hillsboro to visit with family who were having a memorial day BBQ. We ate, chatted for a while and then left to finish our remaining drive to Manzanita. By the time we got there it was late and we went to bed.

Nick and Taylor

Grampa

Happy Bday Taylor!

Aunt Bonnie looking slim behind her pillow

Nick's very handsome dog, Duke

Taylor and her dad

Day 2

Hello beach! It was grey and kinda rainy but that didn't stop a couple of girls from running around and acting like loons.

One of the things I love about Manzanita is that it isn't crazy busy. I can let my girls roam off leash without worries of Violet being stressed out by another dog. When in doubt we keep the lead on her but if the coast is clear we let her run her little heart out.

Later that day we took a little breather in front of the fireplace to re-energize those batteries.

After the warm up and nap we went back out and the girls went nuts (again)

Nothing beats a beach-side sunset

Day 3 

I started the day by taking Sadie out on a solo walk on the beach. The energy level is distinctly different without a bratty little sister to get things going. It was a nice relaxing stroll with Sadie walking leisurely beside me.

Sadie taking in the scenery

Dark silt mixes in with the lighter sand

Sadie poses for mom

Warming up her belly in the sand

Here comes the brat

Sweet freedom 

Hug Cove

A creek we found along side a trail. The water was ice cold. Didn't stop Sadie from jumping in like a fool. We didn't let her play for long because of how cold it was. She would have died from hypothermia before calling it quite on her own.

Violet "helps" by waiting for Sadie to do the hard part (fetch the stick) then she grabs it from Sadie when she gets closer to shore.

Day 4

Lazy day. We broke out the frisbee to let them run off some energy. Then we went back into our warm hotel room to nap and order in Pizza. 

Sadie gets air

Neener Neener

It's hard work having fun. Sweet dreams, crazy girl.

Day 5

So this is the day we left. This is also the day the sun came out. perfect timing.

These little pools were left from the tide going out. Sadie loves these little pools. Lots of barking and splashing filled our morning while Rob and Violet slept in.

The hotel that we stayed at - right in the middle and right at the beach edge

Once Violet and Rob joined us we brought out Big Red and let them run around like loons. Again.

After one last bath for dogs and humans we left and headed home. 

If you're insane and want to view ALL the pics, they can be found here: 

http://gallery.niroha.com/gallery/index.php?spgmGal=Trips_and_Outings/2011/06_Manzanita