Homemade Dog Treats

Last year, my dog (Specks) was diagnosed with a slew of allergies ranging from human dander to grass.  Many of his allergies pertain to food though and it has been a struggle to find things that he can eat, especially when it comes to treats.  Food is a bit easier, and while I've considered preparing all of his food myself, I just can't bring myself to become quite that nuts.  I am already a complete crazy dog-lady, no need to add to it further, at least not yet.  Give it a few months.

Anywhooo…I did start making treats for him.  Here's the recipe!

1 12oz can of dog food (I use Merrick's Limited Ingredient Salmon)
1 Egg
1-2 Cups of flour

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix all ingredients together.  Roll out, using a rolling pin, into a medium-thickness slab of dough.  Cut into bite-sized treats.  Place on baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes, or until browned.  Cooking time will depend on thickness and size of the treats.  Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Your turn…What are your crazy-pet habits?
Currently listening to…Leave No Trace - Chvches

Birthdays

This is a big week in my household.  All three of its occupants celebrate their birthdays.  Specks is the first to get to celebrate.  His birthday was Sunday (3/15) and he turned six! We celebrated by going for a very long, fun walk and then climbing a 700ft sand dune.  Specks is all about the adventure.  He also ate way too many treats and napped with me on the couch.  Perfection :)

Today, we celebrate another exciting birthday.  Cody officially enters his mid-twenties today...such a youngster! I wish more than anything that he was here to celebrate with me.  We will be spending lots of time on FaceTime today.  I will most likely sing to him, which he will pretend to hate.  He will spend the day working and staying busy.  Luckily, he is in Juneau with all of our friends so they will treat him to a fun birthday celebration this evening. More than anything, I hope this year brings him love and happiness.  I hope he gets to go back to college this year.  I hope he climbs a few mountains this year.  And I hope he enjoys every minute of time with Specks and I this year.

Finally, we will wrap-up the birthday extravaganza on Wednesday with my birthday. This year will be odd for me.  I've never spent a birthday alone, much less hundreds of miles from family or Cody.  I may venture out for dinner with a few of my local friends.  It should be a very low key affair. I'll go home to Specks and get in some cuddle-time.  Not altogether a bad thing.  I'm happy to be a year older and I am happy to have a new year to work on goals and aspirations that I have for myself.

All in all, it should be a pretty nice week.

Your turn...How do you celebrate the birthdays of your furry friends?

Currently listening to...Thinking Out Loud- Ed Sheeran 

Specks Update

Some of you may know that our doggy, Specks, has been suffering from an unknown illness. He started getting sick in August and has been battling it ever since.  His symptoms were chronic ear infections and itchy skin.  It took us months and a ton of trial and error.  Finally, we did a huge blood panel test on him and it came back with some surprising results.

Specks is allergic to human dander, maple trees, oak trees, various types of grasses and weeds, dust, beef, venison, lamb, rice, oats, barley, corn, and soybeans.  Seriously.  Somehow all of these crazy allergies just showed up in the last six months.  He is now on a special diet and will be getting a monthly shot.  I'm going to learn to give him the shots at home to make things easier on him.

I feel bad that he suddenly has this crummy health problem.  Thankfully, it is totally treatable and as long as we are careful about what he gets into he won't have any real issues.  I'm so glad that we've finally gotten to the bottom of the health scare.  Specks is such a huge, lovable part of our family.  He really is like a child to Cody and I.  We are so happy to have a treatable solution to his health issues.  Specks is very loved :)

Your turn…Do you have a pet?  Tell me about him/her!

Currently listening to…Lights- Ellie Goulding

Cabin Camping In Alaska

Camping. I love sleeping in a tent, late night bonfires, the smoky taste of campfire food, warm coffee on a chilly morning.  I love all of it.

Beach views on the hike to the cabin. 

I've been nervous about camping in Alaska ever since we moved here.  As a midwesterner, I grew up without the threat of bears.  Bears are a very real threat in all of Alaska though and it is something I have felt fearful about since moving here. That being said, I was so happy to get the opportunity to do some rustic (no plumbing, no electricity) cabin camping a few weeks ago.  It spared me my fear of bears and still allowed me to do some camping!

Hiking about 1mile from our cabin location.

Great friends and a great weekend!

Renting a USFS cabin in Juneau costs a whopping $35/night.  These cabins go QUICK so you have to be speedy to snatch one up from the Forest Service before they sell out (think 6+ months in advance).  This has been the first time we've been able to score one of these cabins.  Sooooo worth the wait.

Breakfast and coffee on the cabin stove. 

Alaskan Gothic.  Can you spot the photobomb??

Cody, myself, and two other friends (and two crazy dogs) took a short hike to a cabin in the woods near Juneau and spent a glorious weekend hiking, camping, cooking, and exploring.  It was one of the best weekends I have spent since arriving in Juneau two years ago.

View from the hike back to the car on Sunday afternoon. 

If you ever get the chance to try out a USFS cabin in the Juneau-area I highly recommend it.  The cabins are beautiful and well-maintained. Some amazing memories were made in that cabin :)

Questions:
Do you like camping? Why or why not?
Have you ever camped in a bear-heavy area?
Where is your favorite camping location? 

North Douglas Beaches

Miraculously…..

It's been sunny this week! I feel like I've been writing that a lot this year.  Juneau typically gets more than 300 cloudy/rainy/snowy days per year (aka NO SUN).  This year it feels like we've had a ton of beautiful, warm, and glorious sun.  I'm never going to complain about that kind of a miracle.  

This week we took the dog out for a hike and a little sunbathing by the ocean.  It was actually warm enough (upper 30's) to hike without full winter gear.  The sun helped us out too.  We ended up lounging on some rocks for what felt like all day.  I got some great pictures.  Cody just about fell asleep on a rock.  Specks, the dog, chased enough birds to last him all week.  So warm.  So sunny. So relaxing. 

Perfection :) 

Questions:

Where is your favorite beach?

Tell me about your perfect winter day? 

Things To Do In Juneau: Skaters Cabin

Skaters Cabin is a beautiful recreational area on Mendenhall Lake, located in the northern part of Juneau.  It is a beautiful picnic area with beach access, a picnic shelter, fire pits, hiking/skiing trails, and easy accessibility to the Ice Cave Trail (takes you underneath Mendenhall Glacier).  Cody and I have spent time here on a few occasions, and with the warm weather this weekend we just couldn't resist taking our grill out here for a fun cookout with friends.

The weather was PERFECT.  It was sunny and in the low 40's for the whole afternoon.  We spent about three hours outside there and had a blast.  Specks came too and had a fun time tearing around with the other dogs that hiked by with their owners.  We had the beach to ourselves for the most part.  Hikers and skiers occasionally wandered by (trails pass right behind the shelter).  But, most of them had dogs with them so Specks was in doggy play-date heaven.

Skaters Cabin is a fun place to visit for any of these activities.  It also offers some stunning views of Mendenhall Glacier.  You can view the glacier from the much closer Nugget Falls trail, but the NF trail is always packed with people (during the summer entire tour buses drop off there).  Skaters Cabin may not offer as up close and personal views, but there are seldom other people there and the views can be enjoyed while cooking, hiking, or swimming during the summer.  It's a pretty perfect spot :)

Questions:
Do you take your doggy hiking/skiing with you?
Where is your favorite outdoor cooking location?

Hiking Eagle Beach

Hiking is one of my favorite activities, especially in incredibly beautiful weather.  I knew when I saw the forecast for Saturday (highs in the 80's) that I needed to plan a hiking expedition.  So, we made it a girls day and I hit the trails with two of my friends and our pups for a 3-hour hike.

Beginning of the trail. 

We started on a trail Out The Road (where the road in Juneau ends) that leads to a great beach, aptly called Eagle Beach. The sign at the beginning of the trail simply read, "Primitive Trail."  And, they weren't kidding.  While parts of it were maintained, like the picture above, other times we were tromping through weeds that reached my waist. We ended up getting a little off-trail and walking along the beach for a period of time.  We sat in the sand and took a rest after about 1.5 hours to refuel and water the dogs.  Perfect!

 Lavender plants that we had to tromp through to reach the beach. 

Snow-capped peaks in the summer. 

Specks & I stopped for a rest on the beach. 

All in all, the hike was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.  We've really been having perfect summer weather the last three weeks.  Temperatures in the 70's and ample sun.  It has been perfect for physical activity outdoors.  I will typically hike no matter the weather (sun, rain, snow, wind, etc) but this near-perfect stuff we have been getting has given me a new appreciation for Alaska Summers and the hiking season.

We made it! 

I hope all of you are getting out and hiking, biking, kayaking, or any other physical activity while we have this amazing weather.  Even you Lower-48ers should be getting out and enjoying your summer weather (despite the heat).  Enjoy it while we have it!


Questions: 
Do you like to hike? 
If so, where are your favorite places to go? 
Are you enjoying your summer weather? 

The End Of The Road

This weekend Cody and I did something that we have been meaning to do since the first day that we arrived in Juneau…we drove to where the road ends!

The mountains at low-tide. 

The road actually ends in Juneau at two different spots, North Douglas and "Out the Road".  We have driven to where the road ends on Douglas Island (our home base) a ton of times because it is only a ten minute drive from our house.  But, the area of Juneau actually known as "Out The Road" goes quite a bit further into the wilderness and is where they intend to connect Juneau to other parts of Alaska by road in the future.  This area goes about 30extra miles to be exact (ish) and in the complete opposite direction of Douglas Island.  The drive took about 60minutes (each way) from our house so it was a bit of a trek by Juneau standards. There wasn't any indication that the road was ending (imagine my surprise).  But, after skidding my car down a narrow dirt road and realizing I was no longer on a "road" and indeed headed into the unknown I decided to backtrack a bit and park about 1/2 mile back at an outlook.  We hiked the rest of the way down to see what there was to see where the road to civilization ended.

Strolling on the beach with my pup.  

This was the perfect end to our weekend.  It was beautiful, relaxing, and we still got a little exercise worked into our daily routine (for both us and the doggy).  We live in such a beautiful place.  It never ceases to amaze me that I can walk out my front door and stick my feet in waters from the Gulf of Alaska or climb a mountain that is part of the Alaska Boundary Range.  Realizing how luck we are to have the opportunity to live in such an amazing place for a few years has really made me appreciate life and all of its adventures :)

Questions: 
Do you live somewhere that allows you to go on hiking expeditions? 
Would you ever consider living in Alaska? Why or why not? 
If so, where would you want to live? 

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think :)

Blogger's Block

Friends, I have developed Blogger's Block. I can't think, I can't sit down, and I can't even imagine spending time at the computer.  I think I may pull through this difficult time with some effort.  Thankfully, I know what the catalyst behind this illness is…..NICE WEATHER!!

Here is a picture of my boys just taking a little nap on a rock in the ocean during low tide. We have had spectacular weather in Juneau (and most of Alaska) this week.  I just can't bring myself to spend more than five minutes indoors.  Don't worry, I am sure it will rain soon and I will go back to blogging more regularly.  Until then, go outside and enjoy :)

Easter in Juneau

Cody and I celebrated Easter in a slightly different way than most of you probably did….

We cleaned our house!! Ha ha.  We have been slacking so we did a little spring cleaning today. Not very exciting, but necessary.

Then, we headed out to get our exercise on! We took Specks out to Nine Mile Creek Road again this weekend.  It is part of the Wildlife Refuge and makes for some awesome hiking and spectacular views. Specks had a big time and so did we.  Perfect way to spend a Sunday.

Specks & I taking a break from hiking. 

Cody & Specks getting ready to race. 

Cody rocking his shades in cloudy weather. 

Then, it was home to tuck into some Warm Quinoa Salad for a healthy Easter dinner.  For most, it would seem like a typical weekend, and for us it was.  But, Easter is surprisingly less exciting when you live 3,000miles away from your family and don't have kiddos. Oh well, Happy Belated Easter!!

All Quiet On The Northern Front

Sorry for the lack of posts this week.  I have been busy and out of the house a lot.  Specks is feeling a bit sad :(

Sad faces at the front door in the morning. 

Cody and I have been making the most of our time together (sans computer) by eating quick and tasty family dinners.  Even though its been a busy week, it has been a tasty one. I think you'll all enjoy the recipes that are to come this weekend.

Us. 

Calzones, recipe to come. 

I have hopes that this weekend will be a fun and bright adventure.  The weather this week has led me to believe that we are in for something wonderful.  Cross your fingers!

View from my office (last day Friday!) 

This weekend I will be more interesting, promise!

Weekly Meals, Part Two

So, last week was CRAZY as far as eating goes.  Cody and I both had super stressful weeks and celebrated our birthdays.  There was not a meal plan in sight.  I made one…but then completely threw it out the window.  Most of my meals came in the form of instant-meals from this company.  Annie's was my savior and go-to for the week.  The upcoming week is looking to be less kooky, here's to hoping!

Saturday: Eating Out (celebrating a friends birthday)
Sunday: Spicy Orecchiette with Steamed Veggies
Monday: Quinoa and Spinach Baked Casserole
Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup with Tofurkey Rollups
Wednesday: Veggie & Tofu Stir-Fry
Thursday: Broccoli Calzones with Tomato Dipping Sauce
Friday: Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

This week I found a lot of my recipes on this website.  It is the Martha Stewart Vegetarian Meal website.  I usually search online for meals that look good and then make them my own.  That is my plan this week with my many Martha-inspired recipes.

I leave you all this morning with this aDORKable picture of my boys.  Aren't they the cutest?

The hubby and our puppy :) 

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

How I feel about mornings, as told by one of my favorite women in the entertainment industry.  

I always wake up at least 90minutes before going anywhere so I can have some time to myself to drink coffee, think about my day, lounge, and wake up!  This Sunday Cody let me do just this.  I woke up to cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and steaming hot coffee.  Delicious :)

Yummy. 

Specks feels just like I do in the mornings. 

Sometimes, I just need to wake up super sloooooowly.  I am sure many of you feel the same.  Cody, however, does not.  He wakes up 15-30minutes before he leaves the house.  He rarely eats breakfast but he somehow still has time to shower, drink coffee, and get dressed up all spiffy in that short timespan.  I envy this quality of his.  For now though, I am content being a sleepyhead each morning.

Happy Monday Morning :)

Age of the iPhone & Other Grown Up Things

This weekend I truly learned how old I am….I woke up at 7am two days in a row, without an alarm clock.  Why????  I really thought that I could still do the whole sleeping until 11am thing (college didn't prepare me for waking up before noon).

Saturday and Sunday were relatively uneventful.  We went car shopping, which was a fun and very grown-up activity.  We are debating between these two cars.  We originally wanted a Jeep/SUV but they all ended up being waaaaay out of our price range.

Hyundai Accent
Kia Optima

Saturday we did a little bit of lounging, a lot of cleaning, and a bit of walking on the beach.  We took Specks out and he was in puppy heaven!

Isn't he the cutest?!?

Sunday we both went and got new phones.  And, drumroll please….I HAVE JOINED THE 21ST CENTURY!!! I finally got an iPhone.  I have been putting off upgrading to an iphone for about five years.  I just wasn't sure what all the fuss was about.  But, after spending the last year being the proud owner borrower of a MacBookPro (I steal Cody's because it rules) I knew I needed to upgrade to an Apple product.  We shall see how it goes!

Look at this amazing picture-courtesy of my iphone camera :) 

Saturday and Sunday were awesome eating days. Breakfasts were delicious egg sandwiches, fakin' bacon, and GF waffles both days.  Sadly, I don't have a picture of Saturdays dinner meal.  We had Tofu Steak with Rice and Zucchini casserole.  It was delicious.  Tonight the menu consists of some Potato&Veggie Soup.  Recipe to come soon :)

Vegan Potato Soup-during the cooking phase.

Question: Do you have an iPhone/Apple products?  If so, do you like them? 

A Little Vitamin D

This week we saw the sun!! At first, I almost didn't recognize that fire-orange ball in the sky.  Alas, It was the sun!

So, Cody and I got out and trekked to the glacier (again) last weekend when the sun came out.  It is one of our favorite spots and Specks loves it there so we figured we could handle tackling the hike two weekends in a row.  We hiked out to  Nugget Falls, as usual.  Then we trekked around some other trails.  All in all, two hours of fun in the sun!

The sun was off and on all week.  When it was out, Juneau was stunning. We also saw a bit of snow early in the week.  It all melted in a matter of hours because of the warm temps.  But, it was pretty while it lasted.


There were beautiful views from our front porch all week.  The mountains were perfectly reflected in the channel waters.  It reminded me just why Cody and I chose this apartment. Beautiful views!

More sun to come this weekend, or so the weatherman tells us.  I am crossing my fingers that we get some sun this weekend.  It would be unheard of for us to have two, BEAUTIFUL weekends of sunlight.  I am lovin' the Vitamin D.

Are you enjoying sunny days?  Or are you one of the many still struggling through snow storms?  

Photos from Sandy Beach

This weekend I spent a little time out at Sandy Beach, which is located in Douglas, AK.  The beach is only about six miles from our house (this is very close considering we live about four miles out into North Douglas).  When I am feeling lazy but still need to get Specks out on a good, energy burning walk we venture to the beach and hike a few of the trails as we meander along the shore.  Enjoy these awesome pictures.  They were a joy to take as Specks and I wandered around in the woods.  

Ready and anxious for a walk! 

View entering Sandy Beach. 

Abandoned buildings on the trail. 

Graffiti-outside of the building. 

Graffiti and makeshift beds.  

Graffiti and an old heating unit. 

Abandoned mine.  

View through the trees. 

The sun beginning to go down over the mountains.