The Dog Days of Summer.  Hot. Oppressive. Uncomfortable. Sticky. Miserable.  I have always loved the heat, but living in Arizona has really spoiled me.  I like the dry, desert climate so much more than the moisture-laden atmosphere of the Midwest.  Unfortunately for me, heat has no effect on Murphy - he is always ready to go.  Hurry up, Fall!

In the meantime, stay cool!

I have a new love - Pinterest! What a great source of inspiration.

Go pin something!

What a difference a year makes. Well, not really.  It's been 12 months since my last post and one would think that there would be much to tell.  Not really.  I guess I just don't think that my life is that interesting and what with the many options in social media, it seems easier and requires less thought to say something in 140 characters or less than it is to write a more lengthy blog post. Yep, it's all Facebook and Twitter's fault.  I had originally intended to use Blogger as an online journal but what is it they say about the best laid plans?  They also say that life is what you make of it so where does that leave me?  Needing a change, I think.

RIP Bailey

why would anyone want to put soap in her eyes?

Did you know that Beagles are one of the most popular dog breeds in the world? Happy-go-lucky, these merry little hounds are neither aggressive nor timid and will befriend everyone they meet. Beagles are wonderful, loyal, loving companions. I have been blessed with Bailey in my life for 10 years now and have truly never owned a better dog.

Unfortunately for Beagles, these congenial traits and the fact that they have very few genetic health problems have led to them to be chosen for animal testing more often than any other breed. Beagles are used for testing cosmetics and household products, experiments in medicine, environmental science and biological research. Even the FDA has used Beagles for testing chemical substances and food toxins.

Recently, 120+ Beagles made the journey from a research lab in the New York area to loving forever families. Here’s their story:http://network.bestfriends.org/golocal/newyork/15638/news.aspx

I’d like to urge you to take the time to look in your medicine cabinets and pantrys and make the switch to products produced by cruelty-free-companies.

For more information on animal testing and a list of companies that do not test on animals, see PETA's Shopping Guide for Caring Consumers:
http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/testing.asp

So maybe sometimes there's just not much to blog about. Work, home, work, home, work, home, repeat. I think I can only bore you so many times with that, right?

Not today, dear readers! Today I did something new! I made jam. Okay, so one of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't pay more attention to my Nana and her recipes. That lady could cook, bake and can things. In her basement were jars and jars of pickles, relish, tomatoes, beans, you name it. And that lady's strawberry-rhubarb pie was to-die-for! It's such a shame that she never wrote much of it down and when she died, all that homespun do-it-from-scratch stuff was lost.

Anyway, I have been thinking about learning to make jam for awhile. It probably came from my love of that strawberry-rhubarb jam that I get from the Amish lady at the Farmer's Market. Seriously, that stuff is like crack for me! So, I read some different recipes and found one that looked easy enough to try. (God forbid I would ruin a whole big batch of fruit...) It's done and in the freezer!

Triple Berry Freezer Jam

2 C. crushed strawberries

1 C. crushed red raspberries

1 C. crushed blackberries

1 1/2 C. sugar

1 pouch (Ball brand) freezer jam pectin

Combine all the berries in a medium bowl and set aside. Stir sugar and pectin together in a large bowl until well blended. Add fruit mixture to sugar mixture and stir for 3 minutes. Ladle jam into plastic freezer jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust caps. Let jam stand 30 minutes to thicken. Label and freeze.

Two more sleeps. Hard to believe that I have been off work for 10 days. It's even harder to believe that I haven't even wondered what's been going on at the store for almost the entire time! I guess that really speaks to how much I don't like my job, doesn't it?

The storms have rolled in and it's dark and rainy outside, with thunder and lightening peppering the morning's soundtrack. I have no plans for the day except for picking up where I left off yesterday on my journey through Tim Holtz's new book of techniques. Oh yeah, and maybe a nap!

Thanks for stopping by!