Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn!

It has been quite a miserable Summer around here and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy to see it go. I'm missing my Bridget and Indy terribly. I'm looking forward to Fall and everything that comes along with it. Apple and pumpkin pie season, sweater weather, seeing far away friends, old friends and meeting new friends at the PWCCA National Corgi Specialty, the holidays, and let's not forget less frizzy hair weather. This morning I could tell I would need a sweatshirt because John and I were fighting for the covers and we were surrounded by wee beasties who were trying to snuggle down to keep warm. The Corgis were stirring so I got up to take them out so he could sleep in (a very rare treat for The Mister.) I made some coffee and turned on the computer.

Every once in a while I receive an email from Jane Dewey that I know is going to make me smile. Long time readers of this blog know that her Corgi, "Diva" enjoys dressing up and hamming it up for the camera. Here are a couple of photos of Diva.

Just look at her with that net veil hat.

She knows she looks smashing.

And who else could pull off wearing a spider on her head? Not many of us, I tell you.

And lest you think 'the Diva' is all fluff and glitter,

here is a picture of this little athlete during her MACH run.

Not to be outdone, here is Nelson, another of Jane's Corgis.

He is sporting his Sherlock Holmes outfit.

How can there be so much cuteness in one little body?

Elementary, my dear...

Enjoy this Labor Day, my lovely Corgettes! I hope you are doing something fun or relaxing. I'm finishing up some new original artworks which I'll share with you later on. Give your Corgis a cookie and a big kiss on the nose for me today, will you? xo xo -Cat ♥

My Little House On The Prairie Birthday Surprise Weekend

A very excited phone call came on my birthday over the Summer from my friend Tracy who lives on the Jersey shore. She said not to make any plans over a certain weekend in September because I was 'hers.' By chance, she had just seen a postcard advertisement for the upcoming musical and that she and Kathy were taking me there for my birthday. Knowing how much I have always loved Little House on the Prairie, and that Melissa Gilbert would be playing "Ma" in the show, she knew I would love it. If you are a regular reader of this blog you may recall this post about my Little House envy. So John and Laura held down the fort (a.k.a. took care of the dogs and the house) so I could drive down on that Friday.

Kathy and Tracy

Tracy is the best cook I know.

One of my favorite things she makes is her blackened tuna with her

fresh pesto. Doesn't the breaded asparagus look just fantastic? They were.

She always makes everything look as good as it tastes. She

made the most of the last of the basil in the garden. Fresh mozzarella

salad with a touch more pesto. Mmmm.....

We also had some very delicious 20 year old port after dinner.

Our tickets were for the Saturday matinee. Kathy's friend, Dana, also came with us. She met us at the theater. She is really nice. It was so exciting to see Melissa Gilbert take the stage. The audience cheered. In our hearts she will always be Laura Ingalls, but after a few moments in character on the stage, she transformed into 'Ma.' At the curtain call when the young girl who played Laura came out with Melissa Gilbert side by side, we all got a little teary eyed.

We are such a sappy bunch. No, really, we are.

I adore little buttons so I had to buy these tiny pins after the show. And a hooded LHOP sweatshirt for my daughter. She loves it.

After the show we went to a really good Martini bar restaurant near the Paper Mill Playhouse.

These were our Martinis. Mine was a Flirtini (yum) and I had to taste Kathy's just because it was blue (I liked mine better) but I don't recall what the others were. But they must have been good because we had a few. The Martini menu was huge.

This is Tracy on the phone with my Mom at the restaurant, telling her all about the show.

Best friends do that.

Our very nice waiter took this photo of us. Toasting before dessert

with glasses of 30 year old port. I honestly don't recall ever having

port before but after all the port over that weekend,

I can tell you that I like it.

A lot.

Dana, Me, Tracy and Kathy

Everything we ordered was beautifully presented, fresh and delicious.

Like this shrimp with pea risotto....

and this delightful creme brulee....

After the perfect afternoon, we went back home and played Mexican Train Dominos (so fun) until the wee hours of the morning. And we laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

Thank you to my Tracy & Kathy for the most wonderful made-for-me weekend.

I love you both. xo xo xo -CS ^..^

P.S. The Little House On the Prairie Musical has a nice web page with a free downloadable PDF study guide if you click on 'learning center.' Great for homeschoolers, teachers or anyone who just loves pioneer days and Little House. Enjoy!

Tea Party At Roseann's...

My dear friend Roseann invited me to a special Valentine's Tea Party today. Roseann made all of these delectable little sweets, scones and savories for us. She is a fantastic cook and baker. (She really needs a blog of her own!)

It was Ro, Stephanie, Sylvia and I. Another friend, April, couldn't make it. We are a close-knit little group of friends. I love them dearly. You've seen 'Sex and the City?' Well, that's not us. We're more like, "Kids and the Suburbs." Yeah, that's us. Over the years, we've all been there for each other through joys and sorrows, silly and serious, laughter and tears. I can't even begin to express how much they mean to me.

You can click on this photo to enlarge her lovely menu.


Syl brought a jasmine tea flower. It 'blooms' in the boiling water. Pretty and brews delicious tea. .

Stephanie brought a CD of Jane Austen's favorite music that was recorded in Jane Austen's home! She always finds cool stuff like that.

I know, I'm so lucky. And yes, it was as delicious as it looks! She even sent us home with beautiful Valentine boxes of goodies. Thanks, Ro. I love you with all of my heart. xo xo Cat ^..^

Allie & Zabar

There are times when I open my email and it just makes me happy. This is one of those times. These photos were taken by my friend Daphna Strauss Bernstein of her little gingersnap....I mean daughter, Alexandra and their Corgi, Zabar (Cezanne's Zabar Lox-n-ZZ, UDX, PT) The last one of them laughing is my very favorite. These two best friends have the same expression on their faces! Happy~Happy~Joy ~Joy!

Thanks, Daphna! -CS ^..^

I've got a sharp knife and I know how to use it...

Lord knows I don't need an excuse to go to a dog show. However, should you feel the need to justify how much time you spend at dog shows to family or friends, try multi-tasking :) Occasionally I will bring my good cooking knives with me to have the 'scissors man' sharpen them. On Saturday, I also brought a good scissors that my Grandmother had given to me. They were supposed to be used only for fabric, but somehow they ended up being used to cut paper at Christmastime and they became dull. The scissors man made them good as new. So, now with my freshly sharpened knives, making dinner tonight was a pleasure. Baby portabella mushrooms, elephant garlic and asparagus sauteed in olive oil and served over angel hair pasta with fresh grated romano cheese. Sharp knife + fresh veggies = good dinner! Whew! Dinner is saved, all thanks to the dog show and the Corgis...what would I DO without them? -CS ^..^

Happy Easter to you all!

Everybody's just chillin' out...

Amy in a 'frog leg splat' after a 2 mile walk with John and Laura tonight....she looks like a little chubbette in this pic; but she's really a lean mean Corgi machine! Weebles just hanging out in deep thought...
For some reason, I have my days and nights mixed up lately. I feel like I want to stay up all night and sleep all day if only the Corgis would let me. Hence this 1:00 AM post. I've watched the HBO mini series John Adams at least 4 times, episodes 1 and 2 so far. It is wonderful. The part where they read the Declaration of Independence was lovely and brought tears to my eyes. Paul Giammati is fantastic as John Adams and I love Laura Linney's portrayal of Abigail Adams as well. (Don't you just love that name? Abigail?) I love American history, especially from colonial times. Our founding fathers were truly brave, brave men. By the very act of signing the Declaration they were committing high treason to the crown of England and could have been hanged. Well, I'm signing off to try and sleep. If not, maybe I'll clean out the fork drawer.....CS ^..^