It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

"Before we get started Aunt Elise, can I get you something to drink? Maybe a diet coke? They keep all the hard stuff  up high, out of my reach."

Well, as I progress on my journey as an amateur photographer, I would like to share some more photo's! Today, I had the privilege of taking some cute candid photo's of my adorable niece Lily with sort of a "Christmas" twist! She was wearing a festive shirt and was loving all the fun Christmas decorations adorning her home! Now, please keep in mind this is only the second time I've taken and edited photo's with my new camera. Here are just a few I find just absolutely adorable! 

"Now you said pose... is this right?"

Can you say Build-A-Bear Ad?!

"Whatchu lookin' at?"

Lil's First Photo Shoot

I was lucky enough to have a visit from Miss Lily this afternoon! We had fun playing dress up and riding the rocking giraffe. I used this visit as a test run photo shoot of the little angel! Here are the awesome pictures I was able to catch while Lil was playing!! There are quite a few... enjoy!

Two beds are better than one!

So as many of you know Beignet likes to chew. Yes she is a retriever and well thats just what a lot of dogs from that breed do; BUT in efforts to keep the little pup warm during the winter, I have come up with an idea. Beignet likes to chew her bed and pull out all the fluffy green fuzz. She also likes to curl up in a ball and take a warm nap on the bed. These two activities don't go well together... but what if there were two beds? Yes, In an attempt to keep the fuzz to a minimum as well as keep Beignet warm, I bought another bed. I put the new bed in her kennel (Beignets new favorite place to curl up and snooze) and the old chewed up bed out on the floor in the kitchen.

Now, for the good part! I was in the kitchen going about my business when I noticed my crazy pup dragging her "old" bed around. Beignet loves to do this as a play time activity, but she also will bring her bed in or out of her kennel when she feels like it. So, I heard the bed moving and looked over JUST as she got to the kennel. Instead of pulling the bed in she just stopped: Dead in her tracks. What in the world was she supposed to do now... there was a bed ALREADY IN HER KENNEL?! I just burst out laughing because I don't think i've ever seen a dog with such a "hmph" moment!

After the "what the..." moment, Beignet pulled her "old" bed back over to one of her favorite spots in the kitchen and then trotted back to the kennel to lay down. Oh the personality of a dog... well a dog like Beignet!!

Model Behavior

So, I have taken my first photo's with my new camera! Beignet was the best little model for me to begin my  photography hobby! Here are some really cute pictures of Beignet and thanks to the camera (and the pet setting), I am now able to get good pictures of my crazy puppy!! 

"Why are you waking me up for this?"

"As long as there is no light flashing in my face, I will lay like this for you all day!"

Hello Blog World... I'M BAAAACCCKKKK!!!

Okay, its been um well maybe lets just brush over the amount of time I have not been blogging. All that matters is that I'm back, and ready to reveal to the world all the new adventures of my life! I have bought some big ticket items recently, but the most recent will be the topic of this blog. I bought a really fancy shmancy camera, the (at least to me it is) Nikon D5000!!!  So, I will keep this short because I do not have any fun pictures yet... just words for now. I am going to track my status of learning how to use this new machine, on my blog. So, for day one: I opened the box and took a deep breath. For a girl who likes to think of herself as tech savvy, this camera was a bit... okay A LOT overwhelming. You have to kind of know something or other about putting a lens on, and well to be honest I was scared to brake it! I did get all the important pieces on the camera, and managed to get one of my lenses on. I did take a few snap shots but then turned it off and packed it back up until tomorrow. Sheesh, who knew trying to put together a camera could be so exhausting! Tomorrow I will break out the user manual... maybe even one of the teaching dvd's that came with it! Keep checking for new pictures... they will be coming soon!!!

Ways to beat the heat

With all these record breaking temperatures going on, Beignet has found multiple ways to beat the heat! Now, she can't divulge all of her secrets, she was only willing to share one in hopes of finding a cyber buddy! Calling all relative pups... wanna ichat or maybe even skype? Stay cool! xoxo Beignet

Richmond Renovation

Well, this weekend I've joined my parents along with my brother Scott, on a trip to Richmond to help Daniel and Laura with their new home renovations! We are right smack dab in the middle of it all, and it has been a lot of fun thus far! I will add more to this post after we are finally complete for the weekend, so get excited!  The running list of completion is as follows:
-Guest Room Painted
-Ceiling Fan in guest room installed
-Foyer ceiling painted
-Dining Room ceiling painted
-Outdoor lights up
-Dining Room Fixture installed
-Upstairs hall light installed
-Foyer Floor being pulled up as I type...

To Be Continued Tomorrow....

My Water Bug

This morning we took Beignet to swim at Falls Lake, and it was hard to keep her out of the water! She is just IN LOVE with the water! As soon as we got out of the car she was pulling at the leash to get closer to the water... when I let her off she just ran full speed into the Lake! I hope to bring her to the beach one of these days, because when a boat went by and made waves she was enthralled with the waves. She just ran up and down the "beach" of the lake chasing the waves. Here are the pictures we took while out at the lake this morning... enjoy!

We left with one HAPPY and TIRED Pup!

Finding and Following New Blogs!

(I couldn't find the owner of this cartoon to give credit, but its from google images)

So fitting for today's generation :)

I love reading other peoples blogs, probably more than I like to blog myself. So I was blog hopping, and welp I tell ya, some people are just plain cool! This woman's blog was so fun to read and browse that I just kept going and then happened upon her daughter-in-laws blog as well! While I feel a bit weird about doing so, I am now followers of both women's blogs... no I don't know them but their blogs were just so fun! They also seem to have a large family and considering I am the youngest of five that is something I find pleasing!

Okay, so browsing along in many ways, makes me want to spruce up my blog or something... considering this is just my fun outlet for whatever I may be in the mood to talk about. This originally started as my "work" posting spot in college... and well I've transformed it into a journal of random topics!

There is a point to this posting I promise!

So scrolling along I was and I came across this awesome recipe for peaches that just sounds absolutely amazing! I am going to fix it over the weekend and I'm sure it will taste as good as it looks! So, I think you should check out these blogs for yourself and see what you think! I will also link to the recipe, for peach bombs... I mean really the name just sounds cool! So if you get a minute, take a look at their blogs they are pretty neat! Oh and by the way... TGIF!!!

(again google images)

                                                  This cartoon seems fitting for my Mom... :)

The word/woof on the street

I know I talk about my pups an awful lot, but they are so special to me. Over the weekend, Pop and I took the pups to the vet... both of them at the same time in a 10x10 room... yeah! Well my one year old "puppy" is anything but a puppy these days. The massive dog we call Beignet, poor thing is allergic to just about everything.... no really who knew dogs could be so allergy prone. There is something in dog food that her body doesn't process correctly, causing her to gain weight. The vet has suggested a new dog food because they don't want us to cut down on the amount of food, but cut down on calorie intake. Now if thats not bad enough to have your food changed monthly, there is more. She is a wonderful dog for their new weight loss medicine to help her control this allergy. Okay, I know i'm going on and on, but after all of this I read many dog lover blogs, only to find Beignet is not the only dog with such allergies. So, we have set up with the vet to e-mail back and forth about her diet etc. and since Beignet has her own e-mail account, "she" will be talking with her Doctor directly. (Okay, I am a tad bit ridiculous with her, I know.)

Now adding to the stressful visit of hearing your beloved pup is being given a "chubby chart" which will help with the rapid weight loss plan. We also were given the upsetting news that she "most likely" has a blown ACL. I mean seriously pup whats the deal?!  So... time to save  up for a very expensive surgery for my one year old doggy... thank God I am head over heels for this big mutt. So, we are limited to walking and taking it easy (no book bag for her yet) until she is healthy again... or maybe for the first time in her life. She has had it rough since she was a pup, some of her fault and some just in her genes I believe. The vet said walking is fine (even though it probably is somewhat painful) because if her ACL is blown, well its blown. So the diet has taken off with a good start, and we should be starting doggy "ali" for her soon.

Oh and Holden (the 13. 5 old doggy) the one you would most suspect to have the major health news, well she is just doing wonderful. She is having a bit more trouble with stairs as of lately and a couple times she's not made it all the way up... ouch! The vet did give us a tip for slowing down her cancer though! In dogs, to slow down cancer you feed them puppy food because it is high in carbohydrates. The pain meds are helping her tremendously with the pain in her hips, and now we should be able to slow the cancer! Also, she did wonderful at the vet (other than one accident in the waiting room) with Beignet there to calm her nerves. So, happy to report she is doing well and truckin' along like an old gal should!

Happy Birthday Momma Bear

Today, May 19th, is the day God planned for me to have the most wonderful role model, friend, and Mother. Happy Birthday Momma, words can not express the love and happiness you have brought not only to my life, but all those you have touched. When any of us 'kids' need advice or just an ear to hear our thoughts, we call on you. You know exactly what to say, or not to say, to help us find our way. Thank you for always being there, for always loving even when its hard to show it, and for just being the wonderful, powerful woman you are. Happy Birthday, I love you!

Okay I can FINALLY say it.... I'M FINISHED!

So, as many of you know, I am graduating from UNC-G... today! I have left my blog alone for several days... okay maybe more like a week. I did not want to jinx myself during finals and blog about something so surreal as graduating. So now that grades are in and it is the day of reckoning, I will finally blog about it! I AM A COLLEGE GRADUATE!!!! I now have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interior Architectural Design. WAIT.... I HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE??!!! WOW, the four years at times were slow, while at other times it just flew by. I have enjoyed it all even the most horrendous all nighters that lasted over a few weeks... my fellow iArc majors know what I'm saying.

(this is not my drawing, but one of the 'studio' building I spent all four years in)

So I'll blog more about it after the weekend festivities, and of course add pictures for all to see, but just wanted to post it loud and proud! I DID IT! Now its time to figure out what this thing they call the "real world" is... hmm this could be weird... :)

Treading My Mill

Well, we did it! Finally purchased a treadmill for the Hoffman household (including Beignet)!!! I had NO IDEA that this sucker was going to be such a beast to get into the house, let alone my room which is on the third floor. The salesman at Dicks was not allowed to tie the box into our car, so I was climbing all over pulling twine here and there and knotting it as best I could. Next, it was the journey of carrying the monster machine from the car up two flights of stairs... can you say sore? Now, I may be an almost graduate of a well known design/architecture school in NC, but these directions were brutal! It took me two whole nights, and one trip to Lowe's before I got the machine up and running. I mean really, what would people do if they couldn't lift and tighten all these parts? Well, after two nights, I did get it up and running and so was I! I've put in four miles to the treadmill thus far and boy this baby runs like a dream (no pun intended)! So now if you can't find me ... or Beignet... and we're not out riding Roxie... try the mill cause we're probably treadin!

Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops

This week, I got a new cookbook! I am so excited about cooking more recipes from it, but last night was the first one out the blocks, and BOY was it yummy! Also, I tried a new cake baking method "diet soda cake," you may have heard of this before. I don't have pictures of the cake unfortunately, but I do have a picture of dinner! This recipe was really simple and we all enjoyed it so much there were no leftovers.

Cook Book: Taste of Home - Guilt Free Cooking
Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops (pg 153)
Nutritional Information:
258 calories per pork chop
9 grams of fat
21 grams of protein

Here is my adapted version of the recipe

1/2 cup packed splenda blend brown sugar
1/3 cup dijon mustard
5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons cane syrup
1 tablespoon ground mustard
(recipe is for six pork chops, we did four or five)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º


First in a small saucepan, whisk all the ingredients (except the pork chops)
Over medium heat, bring to boil, make sure you stir mixture often
Lower the heat, and let simmer for 2-3 minutes

Spray cooking dish (9x13) generously with non stick spray
Place pork chops in dish (try not to overlap the pork chops for best cooking results)
Pour half the sauce over the pork chops, then flip pork chops and pour on the remaining sauce
Cook uncovered for 18-22 minutes or until juices are clear (be sure to flip chops a few times to ensure maximum flavor)

I served the dish with saffron rice, fresh pineapple, green beans, and pillsbury crescent rolls.

For the cake, buckle your seat belt these directions get tricky!
Just kidding, all you do is open a box of your favorite cake mix (I used double fudge chocolate cake) and then pop open a diet soda or a regular soda if you rather! (recommended cola's for chocolate cakes and citrus for white cakes i.e. sprite zero etc.)  Now, do not add any ingredients listed on the box, simply pour in the diet soda, mix, and bake as directed on the box. Along with my chocolate cake, I poured in a diet cherry pepsi and boy it was tasty!  I am going to make another one of these cakes for the family over the weekend, and will be sure to take pictures!

Hey Cupcake

I am a chocoholic if ya ever met one, thats for sure! So, while I'm watching what I eat these days, staying away from sweet treats can be very difficult some days. I found a recipe for made from scratch, low calorie, chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes and it turned out great! This recipe was very detailed and even gave the exact nutritional information per recipe. I highly recommend this recipe one, if you like peanut butter and chocolate together, and two, if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth but don't want to pay for it later. I did however add one or two ingredients, so here is the recipe adapted from its original form. 



INGREDIENTS:
(makes 10 cupcakes)
Filling
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Cupcake
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons applesauce1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon espresso powder (I used instant espresso coffee)

Directions:

1. Mix together ingredients for filling. Set aside.
2. For cupcakes, first blend butter, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar. Add egg and sour cream. Mix.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and espresso powder.
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet.
5. Line muffin tin with papers or spray well. (papers recommended)
6. Fill bottom with batter, being carful not to over fill, because you will use the remaining batter later and you don't want to run short (I did run short). Spoon in a drop of peanut butter, then cover with remaining batter.
7. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.



NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
135 calories
8 grams fat
17 grams carbohydrates
2 grams fiber
3 grams protein

CAD Drawings 2009

Foxy Roxie

Today, I became a little girl all over again when I bought a PINK Schwinn roxie (the name as read on the bike) beach cruiser! Thats right, I walked the aisles of target pushing a shiny pink bike around, and with the help from my Mom, squeezed it in her car to bring roxie home! I was so excited, everyone who passed us smiled and we even overheard a few "wow! she got a pretty pink bike!" comments from fellow shoppers.

I will say riding a bike wasn't as easy as I remembered! Of course I never forgot HOW to ride a bike its just my body went limp after a few peddles around the block. Can anyone say "JELLO?" Oh, but what fun I had riding this precious pink cruiser around with my very fashionable helmet...sike! I think pink bikes just make people happy, because every person I rode by smiled and waved with extra enthusiasm!

So, if you can't find me... I'll be riding Roxie!

Not So Great Time For A Great Dane

I have been tracking "Ella" the great dane I so very much wanted to adopt, but tonight found out some bad news. She was adopted, meaning off the market for me. My brother jokingly said to me just last week, that I better snatch her up while she was available. Well Daniel, you are getting the last laugh here. I will not for the sake of the dog and my parents, adopt a Great Dane until I have graduated college (May 14), gotten a full time job, and moved out of my parents house. These minor set backs are what is keeping my pack from growing. To curb my envies for a Great Dane, I will in fact start to volunteer for the local Great Dane rescue. This will most likely begin sometime after Easter or maybe even after graduation seeing that I am fairly busy right now. Wish me luck, and patients. Also, to the lucky person/family who adopted Ella, congratulations she is one BEAUTIFUL dog!

Tennis Anyone?

With the weather warming up (even if today was a little chilly) its officially tennis season. AHH CRUD! This means our neighborhood tennis courts are occupied from about 3pm to 9pm EVERYDAY. This is a problem only because tennis helps my wild pup unwind and release the pent up energy from the day. Our long walks are much more pleasant after she's run around off the leash chasing tennis balls I've thrown all around the FENCED in courts. As many of you know, puppies or adolescent dogs are in their wild and rebellious stage so coming back to owners isn't ALWAYS top on the list. We work on this with fetch in the tennis courts at least two times a week.

Today however we got all ready to go on our long walk with the tennis courts first on the list. I pack a small bag with tennis balls, her foldable water bowl, a bottle of water, training treats, and of course poop bags (there is no nice way to put that). We took off and what to our surprise did we find but, FULL TO THE MAX TENNIS COURTS, WHAT?! HOW DARE THEY BE PLAYING TENNIS?! This was fine (I guess) we just went around the park and continued our walk. I had to fight the wild pup only part of the way, but it sure was enough for me to declare my dislike for tennis right now!

Happy Spring! For those tennis players out there, I hope you break your racket!