Fall and a very tasty Sunday!

Technically, winter doesn't start until Wednesday - so this fall video isn't too late! Here are the girls running around in the massive leaf piles in our yard: 





They love chasing each other and wrestling! 


The other exciting doggie news around here is that we spent Sunday cooking for the girls! We made some dog food and tasty treats for them. Yes - I was actually in the kitchen and using the food processor and the oven! Don't worry because Aaron and Starbuck were supervising me. 


Here's the recipe: 
3 raw eggs
1 can of sardines (packed in olive oil)
1 sleeve of graham crackers
Throw everything into a blender and blend until it's this nasty fishy, thick soupy goop. Then spread fishy goop on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until rubbery and brown on top. 

 Here is everything before I turned on the blender. 

 Here is Starbuck inspecting the fishy goop and deciding it smells delicious!

 Here are the cookies about to go in the oven.

The girls LOVED the treats! Starbuck kept patrolling the kitchen just in case some treats happened to fall on the floor. 

Anyone have any tasty treat recipes to share? I think I'm going to start making them treats more often. Cheaper and that way I know exactly what's in them. 

Tell Me Thursday (Yes, I know it's Tuesday :))

I'm totally behind. I guess that's what happens when the holidays are coming and I'm still completely unprepared! 


And now onto the surprise questions from Laura over at Crooks and Crazies! And look - there's even a new button!! 




1. What are your plans for the holiday season?


We'll be getting together with a bunch of family - all my aunts, uncles, cousins, my granny, my parents and my brothers and sister. It's always a great time. We have a big party on Christmas Eve to celebrate my grandpa's birthday even though he's no longer with us anymore. We all get a little sad but spend the whole time telling funny grandpa stories and eating all of his favorite Italian food. The dogs love it because they get lots of tasty treats. 

2. Do you decorate? If so, what have you done so far? 


I usually decorate - but I'm so far behind! Not sure if I will get around to putting up the trees and the rest of the decorations. But I will at least bring out the gingerbread dog house! 

3. a. Favorite recent dog photo? 

It's Nari and I at Cynosports running the the Grand Prix Semifinals! Not a great run, but we made it to the semis which was way better than I ever thought we would do at our first Nationals :) 

I know the question said just one photo - but here's another one I really like. Nari and I taking 7th place in the Grand Prix Quarterfinals and advancing to the Semifinals! I like this one because you can see Nari's cute little face and my butt doesn't look that bad in my Tough Girl Skirt (by Skirt Sports - I swear Skirt Sports should sponsor us, I already have a whole wardrobe of their stuff and my dogs are so cute! :)). 

b. Photo that shows your mood today (or one word)? 

So totally bummed because I found out last week that I have plantar fasciitis and that takes me out of agility for a while. Plus, it is super hard to take care of 3 dogs who are used to hiking 5+ miles a day, running, and doing agility when you aren't supposed to walk that much at all. I had so many training things to work on. I just hope I'm okay enough to go to my very first seminar (it's at the end of Jan.). 

This is what Nari does when she can't do agility.

4. There's been a discussion on the BC boards about "don't train for the novice classes.... just train for open and the rest will fall into place." What are your thoughts on this? 


I always train with a goal of eventually being able to have the skills it takes to compete in Masters. But I've learned (the hard way) that there is no reason to push your dog when they aren't ready for the next level. Just love them for who they are and work with their challenges. If training my dogs was easy and we didn't have to struggle to get into Masters, then it wouldn't be nearly as fun and rewarding when we finally get there! 


5. What are your top five cannot-do-without-them dog items? 


1. Lots of crates 
2. My magnetic Trets treat pouch - it's the only one I've found that will not fly off of me or throw treats everywhere while I'm running. 
3. Those non-spill water bowls from clean run (but I'm thinking about switching to those flat sided water pails that everyone is talking about 
4. Ruff wear leashes - I've totally wiped out while running in the woods with the dogs and my hands flew open to break my fall but those nice, cushy handles stayed on my wrists! 
5. Dog beds with sides - our dogs love to rest their heads on the sides like a pillow.  


Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!