Hello. Everyone,
Sorry for the lack of updates but I've been pretty busy. School has consisted like two of my midterms,a bunch of quizes and then to top it all off I managed to develop a pretty severe rash.
Joy,rapture....scratch....scratch...scratch.
So, over the last few weeks I've been trying to introduce my sister to some of the awesome atmosphere in downtown New Bedford! In case you didn't know I live in a mini-cultural mecca! No kidding!
One of my favorite places in the whole wide world is Le Dessertie. The bakery is a little bit of France in our cozy New Bedford burg! The lady that owns the place, Mary Kelly, is an angel. She recently held a contest and the winner got Tea for Two.
Guess who won?!
Yes! Moi!
So, I invited my sister to tag along. I wish I had taken pictures but it was an experience. Started off with us ordering tea, Stawberry Love for my sister,and Blood Orange for me,fresh scones,homemade preserve and on form there.
Everything was fresh,amazing and delicious!
Our next stop came a week later. No Problemo's is a local Mexican place. I love taking Tiffany different places because she,seemingly,doesn't get out much.
Six kids!
"Nuff said!
The best part of taking my younger sister places is watching her try to decide what to order. So, root beer and quasaidas. Oh,and extremely bland rice! (Sorry but it's true.)
Last week we went to DNB Burgers! Cheeseburgers were amazing but truthfully I fell in love with the salt and pepper potato chips. I'm not usualy a big fan of chips but these are a definate exception!
Contemplating posting a few new recipes and maybe even talk about some of the new clothes I bought.
My life....my loves....and all about me
Monday, March 28, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Dog Training
So, in the winter months Maddy and I get extremely bored. We usually like to go for walks,camping and what not together. After years of looking for a dog that I could hang with,have fun with,and spend time with I finally FOUND her and, of course, we live in Massachusetts and it's frickin' cold. During the winter months Maddy and I work on her obidence skills.
My goal is simple. Consistancy. My main goal is to simply put teach Maddy and have her do everything I ask with no problems.
Good news. It works! We go through this every winter. The weather sucks,we get bored and we start a new project.
Last winter it was whistling training. Meaning I would whistle, which I cannot do,and Maddy would respond. The whistle usually was a "come along". Meaning,I whistled,she came running. This winter has been nuts. We moved,had to find a new place,no dogs?
GET REAL!!!
No way! So, Thanksgiing,no place yet. We finally get in right before Christmas and I kid you not. I don't want to focus on training but I know better. If I don't Maddy will get bored and mopey! Soo....we do our training pretty religiously.
Every year mama has to come up with new plans. This year I decided to try to use a different approach. Last year I eliminated hand gestures. I now wanted to see what would happen if I brought them back in.
Originally, we used positive reinforcment training to get her to listen and I have to say people have asked me if I do hours,and hours,of work with her. No. Our training is broken up! I have school,I hae work and if we spent hours doing anything it would be pretty miserable so our training periods are shorter. Here's a simple breakdown of how to train your dog if you'd like to use positive reinforcment.
First, here's a definition of "positive reinforcment training".
Positive reinforcment training is when you train using positive techniques. I do not hut my dog. EVER!!! Maddy likes food enough to work for food but she loves praise,hugs,kisses and just hearing how good she is even more!
From the beginning, I made sure that Maddy knew she was safe! We would never,ever do anything that hurt her. As a result she trusts me to be her mom and do what she needs to do. The training will always be fun and the expectations are clear!
The commands are short and simple. "Sit", a simple gesture of the hand coming down, "stay" is a hand out, and our favorite is "come on". Come on means,"We're going to hang together and relax."
"Come on." is our very favorite command! Mine too. Honestly! We LOVE being together and it's just more so now because my nephews,my sister my sister and brother in law are not living with us anymore. Maddy spends her time,when I'm at school or work,with my parents and when I"m home....we're together!
Training,for us,is NOT an all-day,all the time occurance and honestly,I'm not a professional and p.s. my last two dogs were not trained well. Maddy is different. Maddy is special. We work together and it takes our family to make this work! We are all committed to training Maddy,to making sure Maddy is well-behaved and it works. She is so good!
Anyway, that's our dog training technique. Please,feel free to ask questions or share your stories!
My goal is simple. Consistancy. My main goal is to simply put teach Maddy and have her do everything I ask with no problems.
Good news. It works! We go through this every winter. The weather sucks,we get bored and we start a new project.
Last winter it was whistling training. Meaning I would whistle, which I cannot do,and Maddy would respond. The whistle usually was a "come along". Meaning,I whistled,she came running. This winter has been nuts. We moved,had to find a new place,no dogs?
GET REAL!!!
No way! So, Thanksgiing,no place yet. We finally get in right before Christmas and I kid you not. I don't want to focus on training but I know better. If I don't Maddy will get bored and mopey! Soo....we do our training pretty religiously.
Every year mama has to come up with new plans. This year I decided to try to use a different approach. Last year I eliminated hand gestures. I now wanted to see what would happen if I brought them back in.
Originally, we used positive reinforcment training to get her to listen and I have to say people have asked me if I do hours,and hours,of work with her. No. Our training is broken up! I have school,I hae work and if we spent hours doing anything it would be pretty miserable so our training periods are shorter. Here's a simple breakdown of how to train your dog if you'd like to use positive reinforcment.
First, here's a definition of "positive reinforcment training".
Positive reinforcment training is when you train using positive techniques. I do not hut my dog. EVER!!! Maddy likes food enough to work for food but she loves praise,hugs,kisses and just hearing how good she is even more!
From the beginning, I made sure that Maddy knew she was safe! We would never,ever do anything that hurt her. As a result she trusts me to be her mom and do what she needs to do. The training will always be fun and the expectations are clear!
The commands are short and simple. "Sit", a simple gesture of the hand coming down, "stay" is a hand out, and our favorite is "come on". Come on means,"We're going to hang together and relax."
"Come on." is our very favorite command! Mine too. Honestly! We LOVE being together and it's just more so now because my nephews,my sister my sister and brother in law are not living with us anymore. Maddy spends her time,when I'm at school or work,with my parents and when I"m home....we're together!
Training,for us,is NOT an all-day,all the time occurance and honestly,I'm not a professional and p.s. my last two dogs were not trained well. Maddy is different. Maddy is special. We work together and it takes our family to make this work! We are all committed to training Maddy,to making sure Maddy is well-behaved and it works. She is so good!
Anyway, that's our dog training technique. Please,feel free to ask questions or share your stories!
Friday, February 19, 2016
Top Five Pizza Places....in the city...and maybe out further
My dad is not a pizza fan. That's for sure. He HATES pizza but as much like him as I can be I LOVE pizza and sometimes I just develope a craving and I have to get it resolved ASAP! This entry is to pick the top five pizza places in the city of New Bedford,MA,and perhaps the surrounding area.
Dartmouth actually blends right into New Bedford,at a certain point,so does Fairhaven. I'm going to put that out there because some of the places I've picked work in that way. Going to rank them from my favorite to my least favorite! Enjoy!
5. World Famous Pizza & Subs: 1114 Achusenet Ave. New Bedford,MA 02746
World Famous is a family run establishment that is in the heart of the city! The menu features New York style pizza complete with a wide array of toppings. The menu features items like pizza,chicken,soups,salads and sandwiches. The pizza is not my all-time favorite but in a pinch it's good.
Dartmouth actually blends right into New Bedford,at a certain point,so does Fairhaven. I'm going to put that out there because some of the places I've picked work in that way. Going to rank them from my favorite to my least favorite! Enjoy!
5. World Famous Pizza & Subs: 1114 Achusenet Ave. New Bedford,MA 02746
World Famous is a family run establishment that is in the heart of the city! The menu features New York style pizza complete with a wide array of toppings. The menu features items like pizza,chicken,soups,salads and sandwiches. The pizza is not my all-time favorite but in a pinch it's good.
4. Rua's West End Pizzeria: 196 Shawmut Ave. New Bedford,MA 02740 : New Bedford i divided up prmarily by "ends" Southend,North end,East end and the West end. Rua's is primarily deliverable in the West End. I honestly found out about their food when I won a free pizza on a radio content when I was younger. The food is pretty decent. Another place that makes pizza, subs,and all. The pizza at Rua's is not exactly "perfect" but it's still good. I find it a smidge greasy but still in a pinch worth the trip.
3. Metro's Pizza: 32 Dartmouth St New Bedford,MA,239 State Road, Dartmouth,MA 02747: Metro's is a family owned and run establishment and features pizza,subs,calzones and various other goodies. Including cookies and baklava! Tasty,tasty food and the best part is they are all over the place! It definitely makes life a lot easier. The pizza is cheesy and tasty. Their pizza oven is perfect and if you're going to take any reccomendation I strongly reccomend the pasta!
2. Dartmouth Own's Roast Beef and Pizzeria 3 Faunce Corner Road, North Dartmouth<MA 02747: I mentioned my dad and his not being such a pizza fan but this is a notable exception! Dartmouth's Own,formally Rosie's,is unique. The place has a brick oven and features various foods such as subs,calzones,pizza nad seafood as well as roast beef! Usually we order the pizza and let me just say if you get a chance to try it do so. The pizza is HUGE!
Brick Pizzeria Napoltana: 163 Union St New Bedford,MA. 02740: Another unique pizzeria and as an added bonus it's in Downtown New Bedford! (One of my favorite places!) The pizza served at Brick is indeed different! Mainly due to the fact that it's actually smaller then the average pizza you get in any pizzeria. The crust is crispy,deliscious and perfect and while the pizza is enough of a reason to go you also want to check out the sandwiches! Everything is cooked in the brick oven and comes out great.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Bookworm: What's Currently on my E-Reader
Hello. my fellow bookworms:
I have always had a deep and abidding love of books! One of the best purchases I've ever made was my E-Reader. It's totally awesome. Unfortunately,now it's broken and I need to replace the charger. Still, I love to read so I'm going to post a list of some of my favorites.
"Sworn for Silence" By Linda Castillo
The first book in the Kate Burkeholder series,by the amazing Linda Castillo,is an interesting and compelling series. The novel series focuses on Kate Burkeholder, a formerly Amish woman,who lives in Painter's Mills,OH. The story focuses on a serial killer,whose signature is to carve Roman numerals into the victims abdomen. The FBI,and politicos,get involved when another murder occurs. Twists and turns leave you wondering who the killer actually is and you don't,or at least I didn't,figire it out until the very end!
I have always had a deep and abidding love of books! One of the best purchases I've ever made was my E-Reader. It's totally awesome. Unfortunately,now it's broken and I need to replace the charger. Still, I love to read so I'm going to post a list of some of my favorites.
"Sworn for Silence" By Linda Castillo The first book in the Kate Burkeholder series,by the amazing Linda Castillo,is an interesting and compelling series. The novel series focuses on Kate Burkeholder, a formerly Amish woman,who lives in Painter's Mills,OH. The story focuses on a serial killer,whose signature is to carve Roman numerals into the victims abdomen. The FBI,and politicos,get involved when another murder occurs. Twists and turns leave you wondering who the killer actually is and you don't,or at least I didn't,figire it out until the very end!
"Beautiful Disaster" by Jamie McGuire
I had never,ever been a Fifty Shade fan! Honestly,I thought it was the most boring,stupid book I've ever,ever read! I will admit that I sort of was expecting "Beautiful Disaster" to be similar but the story of Abby Abernathy and Travis Maddox is actually really interesting. Travis is a fighter,from the wrong side of the tracks,and Abby is a sweet,naivee girl who falls for him. They make a bet that if Travis doesn't win his fight he must give up sex for a month but if he wins Abby must live with him for a month. Either way the loser still wins!
"Wicked Appetite (Lizzy and Diseal Series #1) by Janet Evanovich
The Seven Stones of Power and if you are familiar with the Stephanie Plum series you are most definitely familiar with Diseal! Lizzy Tucker is a baker,she runs a bakery and then she meets Diseal and his enemies. Soon the two are bantering back and forth, flirting and dodging danger. Evanovich is entertaining,funny,and her chracters are as well. I reccomend the Stephanie Plum series but the Wicked series stands on it's own and honestly,if you're a fan of her work I have to say that Diseal is my favorite male character she's written. It's funny and clever.
What's for Dinner Tonight?
As I had mentioned one of my all-time favorite past-times is cooking and while I'm glad I have a stove, Trust me there were times when I didn't.,I never turn down a good crockpot. Wikipedia defines a crockpot as,"A slow cooker, also known as a Crock-Pot (a trademark that is sometimes used generically in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), is a countertop electrical cooking appliance that is used for simmering, which requires maintaining a relatively low temperature (compared to other cooking methods such as baking, boiling, and frying),[1] allowing unattended cooking for many hours of pot roast,stews, soups, "boiled" dinners and other suitable dishes, including dips, desserts and beverages."
To me a crockpot is a massive time saver! Last night I made baby back ribs,in the crock pot,and tonight, because it was so good,we're doing it again. With some slight variations. Here's my recipe for pork chops and baby back ribs in the crock pot with roasted rosemary and garlic potatoes! If you try any of my recipes,please let me know.
Barbeque Baby back ribs (in the crock pot)
1 package of pork chops or baby back ribs (Note: You can use pork you want)
1 tbsp of sea salt
1 tbsp of meat tenderizer
2 tsp of dried rosemary
2 tbsp of garlic/roasted garlic works well too
1 tbsp of cracked black peppper
2 cups of Ah-so sauce
1 bottle of any flavor barbeque sauce
1 large onion/diced
*Rub the spice onto the meat/both sides and place it into the crockpot*
*Place it into the crock pot and pour the barbeque sauce on the meat.*
*Turn the crockpot on high,put the cover on and let it cook until the meat is tender/cookied.*
Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes (recipe from Raddest Mom blog by Lisa Osbourne)
Ingrediants:
1 pack of fingerlength potatoes or a few large Yukon golds (Note: You can use baby redskins as well)
1 tsp of salt
3 Cloves of garlic/1 tbsp of garlic powder
3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of dried Rosemary/1 to 2 tsp of fresh rosemary
Preheat the oven to 350. Finely chop the garlic and you can either wash the potatoes or mash them to get any dirt off.
Slice the potatoes into bite-sized chunks. (Note: They should be about the same size to cook evenly.)
Coat the potatoes in olive oil,garlic,salt and rosemary. (Helpful hint: Use your hands to coat them evenly.)
Put them in the oven and let them roast for 35 minutes or more.
To me a crockpot is a massive time saver! Last night I made baby back ribs,in the crock pot,and tonight, because it was so good,we're doing it again. With some slight variations. Here's my recipe for pork chops and baby back ribs in the crock pot with roasted rosemary and garlic potatoes! If you try any of my recipes,please let me know.
Barbeque Baby back ribs (in the crock pot)
1 package of pork chops or baby back ribs (Note: You can use pork you want)
1 tbsp of sea salt
1 tbsp of meat tenderizer
2 tsp of dried rosemary
2 tbsp of garlic/roasted garlic works well too
1 tbsp of cracked black peppper
2 cups of Ah-so sauce
1 bottle of any flavor barbeque sauce
1 large onion/diced
*Rub the spice onto the meat/both sides and place it into the crockpot*
*Place it into the crock pot and pour the barbeque sauce on the meat.*
*Turn the crockpot on high,put the cover on and let it cook until the meat is tender/cookied.*
Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes (recipe from Raddest Mom blog by Lisa Osbourne)
Ingrediants:
1 pack of fingerlength potatoes or a few large Yukon golds (Note: You can use baby redskins as well)
1 tsp of salt
3 Cloves of garlic/1 tbsp of garlic powder
3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of dried Rosemary/1 to 2 tsp of fresh rosemary
Preheat the oven to 350. Finely chop the garlic and you can either wash the potatoes or mash them to get any dirt off.
Slice the potatoes into bite-sized chunks. (Note: They should be about the same size to cook evenly.)
Coat the potatoes in olive oil,garlic,salt and rosemary. (Helpful hint: Use your hands to coat them evenly.)
Put them in the oven and let them roast for 35 minutes or more.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Recent Works
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| Flower with multi color. (Created with colored pencils) |
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| Hearts and flowers. (Created with oil pastels) |
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| Another of the first. Love the flowers,color and details |
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| More work on the first one. Complete with ribbons. |
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| Background was created using a paper towel. |
An Into
Hey. all! K. So if you're not familiar with me allow me to introduce myself! My name is Dawn, I'm a 26 year old college student/retail worker/proud auntie/wanna be artist,comic/animal adoption advocate and proud dog mommy. Currently I live in New Bedford,Ma, a small city 35 miles outside Boston. I live with my mom and dad but for years I've always been very involved in being a proud auntie to my four nephews. The boys are ranging age from 13 to 1 but still this isn't about them. It's about me.
Work and School:
I work in a deparmtnet store and honestly,for the most part I like my job but I'm also attending college. A few years ago I was in college but I was fed up with not making money so I graduated, a few credits short of my degree,and went to work! For a while it was good. I liked where I worked but then I started suffering anxiety attacks and left my job. Ironically, I went back to school and now I work for the same company I left. I'm listed as an Fine Arts major but truth I want to become a councilor for troubled teens,pregnant teens,or families in crisis. My work schedule is frequently limited to weekends and now the big thing is figuring out what to do with my spare time.
Art and other Hobbies:
Art is something I've come sort of late in lfe. I never good art classes in school so I didn't really like art but now I'm making up for lost time. I love arts and crafts and drawing. (From time to time I'll post some of my work.) Some of my other hobbies include shopping,cooking and reading. From time to time I'll post recipes,products I like, Note: I'm not shill and I don't get paid for the reccomendations.,and even some reading reccomendations. Feel free to respond and make suggestions!
Animal Training and Adoption:
Growing up,my dad always loved animals and our family also consists of our dog and our fish! Ever since I was 21 our family has had a dog. Our first rescue,Sasha, was a German Shepherd/Rottie mix,our second was a Cairn Terrior,named angel and currently I am the proud dog mommy of our Lab/Springer/Border Collie mix,named Maddy. Maddy is seven years old and came from a high-kill shelter in TN. I'm a big advocate for positive reinforcment training and I'll probably be posting some videos of how this technique works. I want to make it clear,though,that Maddy is trained and while I did have to do some of it she's always been extremely well behaved AND she makes me look like a fantastic trainer. I've heard it said that the Border Collie is 'the rocket scientist of the dog world" and Maddy is a great example of how a rescue can be a great dog! We're actually talking now about her a "pet" and working on "hand signal" training. (This is in conjuction with the obedience training we've already done.)
Hope this gives you a little glimpse into who I am. Enjoy!
Work and School:
I work in a deparmtnet store and honestly,for the most part I like my job but I'm also attending college. A few years ago I was in college but I was fed up with not making money so I graduated, a few credits short of my degree,and went to work! For a while it was good. I liked where I worked but then I started suffering anxiety attacks and left my job. Ironically, I went back to school and now I work for the same company I left. I'm listed as an Fine Arts major but truth I want to become a councilor for troubled teens,pregnant teens,or families in crisis. My work schedule is frequently limited to weekends and now the big thing is figuring out what to do with my spare time.
Art and other Hobbies:
Art is something I've come sort of late in lfe. I never good art classes in school so I didn't really like art but now I'm making up for lost time. I love arts and crafts and drawing. (From time to time I'll post some of my work.) Some of my other hobbies include shopping,cooking and reading. From time to time I'll post recipes,products I like, Note: I'm not shill and I don't get paid for the reccomendations.,and even some reading reccomendations. Feel free to respond and make suggestions!
Animal Training and Adoption:
Growing up,my dad always loved animals and our family also consists of our dog and our fish! Ever since I was 21 our family has had a dog. Our first rescue,Sasha, was a German Shepherd/Rottie mix,our second was a Cairn Terrior,named angel and currently I am the proud dog mommy of our Lab/Springer/Border Collie mix,named Maddy. Maddy is seven years old and came from a high-kill shelter in TN. I'm a big advocate for positive reinforcment training and I'll probably be posting some videos of how this technique works. I want to make it clear,though,that Maddy is trained and while I did have to do some of it she's always been extremely well behaved AND she makes me look like a fantastic trainer. I've heard it said that the Border Collie is 'the rocket scientist of the dog world" and Maddy is a great example of how a rescue can be a great dog! We're actually talking now about her a "pet" and working on "hand signal" training. (This is in conjuction with the obedience training we've already done.)
Hope this gives you a little glimpse into who I am. Enjoy!
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