for the dogs...

February is filled with notable holidays such as Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day and President's Day.  Today however, is the less recognized holiday of International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day!  My husband and I adopted Mel from the Yonkers Animal Shelter this past December and have been smiling every day since.  So when I heard about this fun holiday, I thought it would be the perfect time to make some delicious homemade dog biscuits and bring them over to the shelter to share with the rest of the dogs who are still waiting to be adopted.  Hopefully the treats will brighten their day and soon they too will find warm and loving forever homes like Mel's.

Peanut butter dough rolled & cut...

I used this recipe from all-natural-dog-treat.com, 

I left out about 1/4 c flour because my dough seemed a little dry,

so just add your flour slowly to see how much you need.

I doubled the recipe

and made almost 200 cookies...that's a lot of bones!

Mel "helping"...baking can get very tiring...

Bones all packaged and ready to go

I made tags w/ Mel's photo so everyone at YAS

could see how well he is doing :)

Mel making final packaging inspections

Taste test...Approved!

If you are looking to add a new pet to your family...why not think about adopting, rescuing or even fostering a furry friend?  

Mel & I highly recommend it ♥

valentine labyrinth

This past Valentine's Day I walked a labyrinth for the first time.  I have always been intrigued by them and what made this one even more special is it's unique location of Playa Chiquita, Costa Rica, which means "Rich Coast".  We (my husband and I), just spent the past week on the Caribbean Coast of one of the most peaceful, serene, and picturesque countries.  We were lured in for an early afternoon snack of fish tacos at a sweet little eco-lodge called Miraflores.  While we were waiting for our food, Pamela, the owner and builder of Miraflores, invited us to walk her labyrinth.  It is nestled in the back of the property and "was placed in the medicinal and sustainable organic vegetable and fruit garden, complimenting the 12 year old Heliconia gardens, which Pamela collected from all over the tropical rainforest world."  The Labyrinth Society says "A labyrinth is a single path or unicursal tool for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation. Labyrinths are thought to enhance right brain activity."  It's very informative to read more about them on their website.  Check out this link for a research study I thought was interesting and perhaps worth further investigation.  It also reminds me a lot of mandala study one of my professors was working on in graduate school.  I am very grateful we stumbled upon Pamela's labyrinth...it is a true treasure.

view from afar of the Pamela's labyrinth...up above was a sloth looking down on us!

coral with moss...everything was so lush

close up of ferns growing in the labyrinth

Tom dreaming of fish tacos in Miraflores Rainforest Cafe :)

wish we had some now...we never made it back for a second serving, 

will just have to plan for our next trip!

my beach valentine on Playa Manzanillo...how did you spend your special day?

pure vida

en costa rica...more to come soon...i promise :)

for the birds

glittered pinecones (not for birds!)

This past holiday season I made glittered pinecones for some craft fairs, to give as Christmas presents, and to hang on my own Christmas tree.  I recently stumbled upon some of the extra pinecones I had not glittered and decided to craft them into something we used to make as kids...pinecone bird feeders!  With all the snow we have been having, the birds have been flocking to our feeders, so I figure why not give them something new and different to feast upon!  These feeders are super easy to make, and if you have kids, so much fun for them to make with you.  All you need are some pinecones, peanut butter (you can use shortening or softened suet if you have nut allergies), twine, plastic knife, bird seed and a paper plate or two. 

Tie a piece of twine securely to the stem side of your pinecone

Use a plastic knife to apply peanut butter in the openings of the pinecone

Over a paper plate, roll the pinecone in birdseed.

I used black oil sunflower seed and pressed the seeds into the 

peanut butter with my hand.

Hang your feeder near the end of a tree branch ...the further out you put it,

the less likely a squirrel will be able to get it!

Wait...and birds will come :)

A very happy customer!  Now off to identify my feathered friends. 

xo