2013 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 19,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Tasty Tuesday~Rum Chata Cupcakes

Over the Christmas holidays I made these Rum Chata Cupcakes twice and got rave reviews from my family and friends.

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The ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick, at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Rum Chata
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
4 egg whites

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine sugar & butter and beat until fluffy
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, & cinnamon, set aside
Mix the Rum Chata & vanilla together, set aside
Alternating, add in the flour mixture and Rum Chata mixture in to the butter and sugar.
Start and end with the flour mixture.

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In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form (this will be easiest in an electric mixer)
Fold egg whites in to the batter – do not do this in an electric mixer, use a spatula

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Give your pooches the yellow portion of the egg.

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Fill cupcake liners

Bake for 20 minutes

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Rum Chata Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces of cream cheese (1 1/2 packages, at room temperature)
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick, at room temperature)
1/2 tsp of vanilla
5 tbsp of Rum Chata
1 package of confectioners’ sugar (2 lb. bag)

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Combine butter and cream cheese until smooth
Add vanilla
Slowly add confectioners’ sugar

Mix in Rum Chata
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Frost the cupcakes

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Enjoy

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Tuesdays, Just Got Tastier!Tuesdays, Just Got Tastier!
We are joining the Tuesday Blog Hop Hosted By Kol’s Notes and Sugar The Golden Retriever

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Monday Mischief~Pheasant Down

We haven’t been doing much pheasant hunting since the weather has been cold and we have gotten a bunch of snow. The DNR isn’t releasing anymore birds for the season so we have been staying home. Since we haven’t gotten out to hunt Gambler has extra energy so he took it upon himself to go pheasant hunting himself with a pheasant that lives in our house.

Pheasant down, pheasant down.

Pheasant down, pheasant down.

I must clean my kill.

I must clean my kill.

With all the extra energy Gambler decided to leave the yard and go look for a pheasant himself. He managed to find the carcass pile that John took way across the pasture into the marsh. Instead of staying there and eating on the pile like Nellie does he thought he better get home before he got yelled at and of course he couldn’t leave the pheasant behind so here he came running across the pasture with his prize in his mouth.

Here I come with my prize.

Here I come with my prize.

I don't know why they took this nice bird way out into the marsh.

I don’t know why they took this nice bird way out into the marsh.

When not able to burn energy all kinds of mischief is to be had.

monday mischief

This is a Blog Hop. Thanks to Alfie’s BlogSnoopy’s Dog Blog , Luna, a Dog’s Life , and My Brown Newfies for setting up this hop. Please go to any of the sponsoring blogs to find out who else has been mischievous.

 

 

 

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Nothing But Norman #24

Happy Saturday Everyone!

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Today we are joining Ruckus The Eskie for their Sepia Saturday blog hop.

Here are the pictures of Norman I took the morning before we took him to the vet to say goodbye in Sepia.

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Where to Bury a Dog

But there is one best place to bury a dog. If you bury him in this spot, he will come to you when you call – come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death and down the well remembered path to your side again.
And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel, they shall not growl at him nor resent his coming, for he belongs there. People may scoff at you, who see not the lightest blade of grass bend by his foot-fall, who hears no whimper, people who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them, for you shall know something that is hidden from them.

The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Peace!

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Follow-Up/Fitdog Friday

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We are joining Jodi at Heart Like A Dog for Follow-Up Friday.
Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the blog hop that lets you wrap up your week and leads you right into the weekend.
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Little humper at a young age

Little humper at a young age

Brooke was beautiful and of course Norman was precious! Is that a cat he is humping?

LOL Yes that is Bubba the cat! 

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More chewing.

More chewing.

Oh you guys are so right and I believe Norman told her to do it. She is a clown just like he was 🙂

Caught in the act!

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Out the door to go potty and grab a log.

I got this big log, time to take it to my pile.

I got this big log, time to take it to my pile.

Here I go to my pile.

Here I go to my pile.

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I hope all the furry ones got all they wanted for Christmas.
Snow flurries after Christmas Easy style.

Snow flurries after Christmas Easy style.

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FitDog Friday
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Remember to mark your calendars for PetsMove first Move your Mutt-A-Thon on Jan 1-4 2014. You can learn about it here. This is a  Virtual Human-Canine Exercise and Health Expo which encourages us to get out and move with our mutts to keep them fit and healthy. My gang and I are signed up you should be too. We also submitted our New Years Resolutions for 2014. Want to see them???
Ok here you go………
The Gang

The Gang

Ok now on to fitness, since it has been really cold here in WI and we have gotten about 8 inches of snow we haven’t gone pheasant hunting which will end at the end of the month so we need to find other ways to stay fit. Mostly we play fetch and the gang chases each other around the yard.

We wrestle to stay fit.

We wrestle to stay fit.

We play grabass.

We play grabass.

We run at full speed through the deep snow.

We run at full speed through the deep snow.

We climb up and over snow banks.

We climb up and over snow banks.

We play king of the mountain and charge the others.

We play king of the mountain and charge the others.

We play fetch.

We play fetch.

We dig out toys out of the snow and shake them.

We dig out toys out of the snow and shake them.

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Please enjoy our FitDog Friday Blog Hop brought to you by SlimDoggy and our co-hosts Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love. Join the Hop or just enjoy the links below – lots of fun fitness tips and advice!

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This ‘N That Thursday

Today we are joining 2 Brown Dawgs & co-host Ruckus the Eskie  for their This ‘N That Thursday’s blog hop!
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This is what they have to say about the hop,

A little of this and a little of that and everything in between…

“This ‘N That Thursday is for anything you want!  Maybe you want to post about unrelated topics, or each topic isn’t quite long enough to make up a whole post, or you have awards to share, or you have one long post…anything goes!  So grab the button and join the hop!”
The Sand Spring gang had a great Christmas hope all of you did too. I sent the gang outside so Santa could put the presents under the tree.
Santapaw's came

Santapaw’s came

I let them in and we waited and watched to see how long it would take them to notice the presents under the tree. Gambler decided he could finally eat his breakfast so he was on the couch by me then Glory goes trucking over to the tree and see the presents and grabs one. She was the smarty pants to get the first one.
What do we have here? These weren't here before.

What do we have here? These weren’t here before.

I got the first present.

I got the first present.

Gambler took a moment out of eating to steal Glory’s present.

Thanks for the present Glory.

Thanks for the present Glory.

Your a thief, whatcha doing opening my present Gman?

Your a thief, whatcha doing opening my present Gman?

I found a different one to open.

I found a different one to open.

Wow weeee presents!

Wow weeee presents!

Once Gman figured out where the presents came from he would rip one open as fast as he could then run back for another and another until they were all done. He was sad when there were no more.

rip rip rip

rip rip rip

Poor Mk gets no presents to open so she just hung out under the tree.

Poor Mk gets no presents to open so she just hung out under the tree.

More ripping!

More ripping!

I must get the squeaker out.

I must get the squeaker out.

And this is what Nellie did the whole time.

And this is what Nellie did the whole time.

For some reason Nellie wanted no part of the Christmas presents and tried to crawl on John’s lap the whole time. Bah Humbug she said!

A little of That:
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So that wraps it up for today, why don’t you hop on over to 2 Brown Dawgs & co-host Ruckus the Eskie see what their up to and grab the badge and join the hopping fun!

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Merry Christmas/Happy 6th Birthday

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Today Nellie’s first litter was born 6 years ago. This was my first litter whelped and I remember it like it was yesterday. What a surreal experience that I was happy to be a part of. All seven of the Christmas puppies are doing great and here’s to another 6+ years of love and happiness.

HRCH AM CH INTL CH* Nordom’s Apache Rebel MH WDQ     x      HRCH Sand Spring Hurricane Nellie SH

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7 Puppies

2 Males – Huck, Kessler

5 Females – Savannah, Pearl, Nelly, Lou Lou, Jessie

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Wordless Wednesday is a community linkup of bloggers. Visit our host, BlogPaws, and you can use the icons below the post to hop from site to site. It is a great way to discover new blogs…..or even just a convenient way to find all of your favorites in one place. When you visit each site, be sure to leave a comment and let them know you found them through Wordless Wednesday.

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It’s Looking A Lot Like Christmas Sand Spring Style

One more day til Christmas so here are some more crazy Sand Spring Christmas photos. May you all have a safe and blessed holiday. Eat lots and worry about the diet later 😀

Monday Mischief~More Wood Hauling

I’ve figured out that Glory has one of Norman’s genes which in the end I am very thankful for. You see Norman could never go outside without grabbing something and taking it with him. If there was nothing to grab he found something outside to grab and bring to you. This winter we have our firewood that is for our fireplace inside the house stacked up outside our door on our deck. Each time we open up the door to send the dogs outside to go potty Glory grabs a piece of wood and hauls it to the lawn. Gambler and Nellie don’t do this just Glory and it is every time she goes out side so after awhile her pile looks like this……..

Glory's own wood play pile area.

Glory’s own wood play pile area.

This is the pile on the deck right outside the door.

This is the pile on the deck right outside the door.

Some times she doesn't make it to the pile on the lawn.

Some times she doesn’t make it to the pile on the lawn.

Some times she will leave them in the driveway for us to run over.

Some times she will leave them in the driveway for us to run over.

Some times she will haul them around the shed to the pheasant pen.

Some times she will haul them around the shed to the pheasant pen.

Of course she leaves them there and doesn't put them back.

Of course she leaves them there and doesn’t put them back.

Side of the shed.

Side of the shed.

 

Some times she will leave them on the side of the shed.

Some times she will leave them on the side of the shed.

I think I will leave them here and chew on them.

I think I will leave them here and chew on them.

More chewing.

More chewing.

 

Hauling more wood.

Hauling more wood.

I have quite the wood hauler, if only she would haul them back on the deck and stack them.

monday mischief

 

This is a Blog Hop. Thanks to Alfie’s BlogSnoopy’s Dog Blog , Luna, a Dog’s Life , and My Brown Newfies for setting up this hop. Please go to any of the sponsoring blogs to find out who else has been mischievous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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