Bad Beagle

My sweet, little, cuddly beagle is a bad boy. Chance, who usually walks around like a puppy-version of Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh) gets all excited when strange dogs are around. He starts off by yelling in his hound dog voice, and then the hair along his spine stands straight up. Finally, he goes in for the attack. Of course, he doesn't really attack - he just shows his teeth and acts scary.

Today, the neighbors walked by with their dog, Brittany the Brittany (original name, huh?), and all of a sudden I hear Chance go into attack mode. I didn't get all bent out of shape, though. Usually, he just runs up and down the yard, staying inside of the invisible fence. Unfortunately, today, he tore out of the yard and started chasing Brittany (and her owners) around in circles. By the time I got out to the road, the neighbors had chased away Chance and were trying to console Brittany. How embarrassing! I was a little mortified, but I apologized profusely, and thankfully, nobody was hurt.

So, being the good doggie Mom that I am, and because Brittany the Brittany was a little shook up, I took it upon myself to put together some treats for her. I wrapped them up, and wrote a little apology note (To Brittany, From Chance), and stuck the package in the neighbors mailbox. When I told Jeff what I did, he laughed for about half an hour, telling me how "gay" I am. Hmmpf. I thought it was a nice gesture for Chance to make for scaring the bejeezus out of the poor dog.

It's Like a Cooking a Show!!

Tonight, I had my first real dinner party in my new kitchen. Have I mentioned how beautiful the new kitchen is? Jeff just got the under-cabinet trim and most of the kick-space trim finished, and boy is it sharp. Anyway, I love it. Someday, my blog will be full of before and after kitchen photos.

Jeff, Hannah and Corey, Jen, and Julie, Casey and Lindsey were the victims for my first ever dinner party in the new kitchen. I decided on an Italian-style meal because of all the things that could be prepared ahead of time, and made lasagna, a lovely salad, and stuffed mushrooms. BiLo made some great Italian bread which we paired with DaVinci EVOO and rosemary-mix dipping spice. Hannah provided a chocolate-almond cake, frosted festively, in green icing. I hate to toot my own horn, but everything turned out great. The food was satisfying and the conversation was full of laughs. We also oohed and aahed at the beautiful new baby, as we all took turns holding and hugging her. Julie and Casey seem so happy, and Lindsey has to be one of the most content babies I've ever met.

Oh, and I got a great compliment from Corey. He and Hannah were the first to arrive, and shortly after they sat down in the kitchen, I pulled out the stuffed mushrooms. Corey looked around at all of the food and said, "I feel like I'm on one of those cooking shows!" I said, "Thank You!!"

Wow, must have been a combination of all the good smells, a hungry belly and a beautiful kitchen - all prerequisites for gourmet television.

Where Are My Cookie Cutters?

Oh, yeah. Dad borrowed them to make Christmas-shaped smoked cheese last year. What a nut! Good thing Paula attached a star-shaped cutter to Candide by Voltaire...or else I would be making heart-shaped Christmas cookies. Tis the season!

A White Christmas Tree

Usually, I am very intent on have a real, live, Christmas Tree. However, with all of the extra work we have this December with getting the floor down, I've decided to forgo the real tree for one year. Luckily, I was able to find myself a bargain last January. While I was perusing wonderful (please sense the sarcasm) Wal-Mart, I found myself a 6 ft, pre-lit, white artificial tree for $7.00. That is not a misprint, people. Not realizing that I would even need an artificial tree this year, I purchased the $7.00 beauty (more sarcasm), because I wasn't able to pass up the good deal.

Now that I have the tree up and decorated, I am second-guessing my decision to pass up the real tree. In the end, however, like our admirable president (final bit of sarcasm), George Bush, I am going to stay the course. So, when you visit the Eckert household this Christmas, please be prepared to Oooh and Ahhh at a stunning, white, artificial tree.

You've Been MOONED

Okay, so maybe I shouldn't be all that thankful for my wit!

This is actually just Hallie trying to get to the bird's nest that is under the porch. She is such a nut case, but she's my little nut case and I love her.

Being Thankful

Well, I've been a bit cranky lately, which is why it has taken me over a week to write my "I'm thankful for post..." I'm not sure why I've been cranky, but who knows, sometimes you just have to be cranky. So, for the past cranky week I've been feeling sorry for myself because of Mom, and I just couldn't think of anything for which to be thankful.

Now that I'm in my usual jovial mood, I'm going to start my thanks with my Mom. How lucky was I to have such an amazing person for a mother? And, I had her for almost 24 years. There are tons of kids who lose parents much earlier. Of course, there are also lots of people who don't understand what I'm talking about because they're in their 50's or 60's and still have both parents. These people should be writing blogs about how lucky they feel! I'm a little off track...back to Mom. First of all, she always knew how to make you feel better. Mom wasn't somebody who said a whole lot, but when she did say something she made her words worth the effort. I don't think there are kids out there who were more loved than Richie and me, and that has helped the both of so much! She and Dad taught us how to love, which is one of the best gifts they could have given us.

Second, Mom taught us how to be practical and level-headed, although I didn't necessarily inherit or learn everything she could have taught me. This was by no means her fault...I don't think I have all of the necessary genes I need to practical and level-headed all of the time.

Third, and this is going to be last point even though there are tons of others. Mom knew how to laugh and when she did, it was most infectious. I keep remembering the time she called me at work in Philly to tell me that Paula actually cut the cord off of the electric hedger while trimming Grandma's bushes. She could barely get the words out, because she was laughing so hard. I think her last comment was something about always wondering what would happen if you did that.

This is getting to be a wordy post...I'll keep the rest of my thanks short and sweet. I'm certainly thankful for the rest of my living family, including in-laws and soon-to-be in-laws (Nicole and her family), for Jeff, Hallie, Chance, Oz, and Brady, for my intelligence and wit (Ha Ha), for my job that I enjoy, for my good health, for all of my great female friends, and for having the ability to write this blog and enjoy readers' comments.

On that note, I would love to hear some of the things for which you are thankful.