honey cinnamon dog treats

Cupcakes, Books, and Keeping It Real

I’m officially in cake mode again! Well, cupcake mode. I’ve been practicing cupcakes for Sadie’s first birthday party! We’re doing a honey bee themed party and I’m having way too much fun with ideas for treats.

Honey themed cupcakesHoney bee cupcakes with honeycombCandy honeycomb

I made chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and butterscotch “honeycomb” and topped them with a drizzle of honey! The only thing missing are these candy bees. I’m thinking I want to try out some chocolate covered pretzel ideas next. Can’t wait!

Onto the topic of reading. I’ve been reading up a storm lately. Mostly pregnancy and birth-related books–my favorite.
-Just finished Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care
-Currently reading The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother
-Up next is this birth story book

If you’re interested in reading about all things pregnancy, birth, baby, and parenting, I have a page where I list all of titles I’ve read in each category.

Now it’s time to keep it real here on the blog. I have three things to share today!

White and brown American Cocker Spaniel

1. Malcolm puked under mine and Jimmy’s bed the other day and Mavis crawled underneath it to eat the puke before I could clean it up. She then decided she couldn’t crawl back out and was stuck. I couldn’t move our bed because it’s too heavy. I called Jimmy while he was at work and we both had to just laugh that we have these weird/random situations with our small zoo of animals. Mavis eventually crawled back out when I pretended I was going on a walk without her, lol.

2. Remember how I called 911 when Sadie hit her head and was bleeding from her mouth? Jimmy and I had to call again less than two weeks later when she was choking on a plastic gum wrapper while we were driving. It was by far the scariest moment of my life. Thankfully she was able to breathe again after the longest minute of my life, but it was awful. I had a lot of fear and worry after that incident. I’m just focusing on the fact that she is okay now and God is in control. This parenting thing is not for the faint of heart.

3. I am so behind on blogging. I feel like it takes me three times as long to post and comment on blogs. I am reading other blogs and thinking of post ideas all the time, I just have a hard time finding the time!

Well, that’s all for today! I hope everyone has a great week and I’ll be back the next time I find a free moment 🙂

For Lola

I like to think that anyone who reads my blog regularly knows how much I adore my dog, Lola.

lola

lola2

She’s my buddy. I take her for rides in my truck, walk her, cuddle her, and talk to her. She has me wrapped around her finger. Or paw? Or leash?

Whatever the case, I decided to take my love to a whole new level. I made Lola homemade dog treats!

lolastreat

dogtreats

Honey Cinnamon Dog Treats
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 large egg
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl stir together milk, oil and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until just combined.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll or pat the dough into a rectangle that measures roughly 8×14-inches. Cut the dough into small shapes with a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or with the rim of a glass.
4. Place cookies about 1/4 inch apart on baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. This recipe makes about two dozen biscuits. I advise storing them in a sealed container in the freezer.