looks like I'm back...

Six posts in eight days.... looks like I'm getting back into the swing of things! Work has slowed down a little thanks to the holidays, so I can muster up the minutes to pop in here.

I have a few things to share that I'm excited about... (things that will hopefully hold you over, since ironically, I probably won't be able to pop in again until Sunday or Monday...)

First off (probably least exciting), we baked more doggie biscuits last night:

These are "savory" biscuits with parsley and chicken broth. I'll actually tack both recipes to the end of this post, in case you are interested. They are both pretty easy, the PB one more so. I already gave out two little "doggie bags" to a friend on the train, and Trav gave out a whole bunch to his workmates who own dogs.

Secondly, and more fun, I got a new wrap!! I got some Christmas money this year from two people... I decided that the one gift would be fun money, that I could do whatever I wanted with, and the other would be used for something more "responsible" (part went into Gwen's savings account... part is waiting until after the holidays). So with my fun money I got a new wrap, a Ellevill Zara Deli LE.

I like my other wrap, but don't love it. It is way way too long for me and it makes tying good, tight carries hard. So I decided to buy this one as my new long wrap (though it is a meter and a half shorter then the one I currently have!), and I'm going to cut down my current wrap (the BB Slen) to two wraps, a medium and a shorty. I'll try both, see which I like using more, and sell the other. Wraps have amazing resale value, so that will be easy.

I was so excited to get my Zara today. So excited that I had to grab the closest thing to a baby that I could find at work and tie it on!!

LOL.

Here's a close up of the wrap itself ("braided"):

(So pretty, right?!)

And here's a two with my actual baby:

Love it, love it, love it.

Its not the best picture, but what a comfortable carry!! And wrapping in general was so much easier with this wrap vs. my 5.6m BBSlen! I'm in love all ready. Even with a wiggly, just wanting to eat dinner already babe, I was able to get her up there super fast. And once I got her there, she relaxed and lay her head on my shoulder, so I know she was comfy too. I'd like her to be a little higher next time, but I thought it turned out pretty well!

Yay!

In other exciting news... Jan had her surgery today and it went so well. It only took an hour, they were able to do it laparoscopically, and the prognosis for recovery is good. I'm going to check in with her once she's had some rest time, but that is great news for now.

And to end on a cute note... the Christmas ornament Gwen made us at daycare:

(First one is dark, second is blurry... but you get the idea...)

Okay all, recipes after the post break... and until I return, Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holiday celebrations.




Puppy Biscuit Recipes:

PB ones are super easy and roll out smoothly. Everyday ones are more like working with pizza dough... so its a little harder to roll out, and making sure you are using enough flour is essential! We had a problem with sticking dough at first, so I just added more flour when I was kneading... then more as I was rolling out.




Homemade Dog Treat Recipe
Everyday Biscuits


2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons dry parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons honey
1 egg


5-6 cups whole wheat flour


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 ° F (180 ° C).

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in the parsley, garlic, broth, honey, and egg. Gradually blend in flour, adding enough to form a stiff dough.



Transfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth (about 3-5 minutes). Shape the dough into a ball, reflour surface, and roll to 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick (**I also recommend flipping dough halfway through rolling and reflouring the surface at that time too... otherwise it may stick to table, making the cut out shapes hard to move to baking shees). Using small bone-shaped cookie cutters, make biscuits! Transfer to ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1/4 inch (6 mm) apart. Gather up the scraps, roll out again, and cut additional biscuits.



Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and turn over. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on both sides. Let cool overnight. (After we finish baking all batches of biscuits, we turn off the oven, then spread all the biscuits out on one baking sheet and set them in the oven to cool overnight. The extra time in the oven as it cools off helps make the treats crispier and crunchier.)



Makes several dozen small bones that keep and freeze well.





Homemade Dog Treat Recipe
Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits


½ cups water(add more water later if required)
½ cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
½ cup cornmeal


½ cup oats


Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie tray or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400 F (flip half way if bottoms are getting dark). Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in oven until crisp and hard. Store in airtight container.



Let me know if you make them, and how they turn out!