A new challenge

Now that Lindor is back to her old pesky self; I have to find her something to keep her occupied and challenged. Labs love to work and Lindor is no exception. She can retrieve really well but I'm thinking of putting her in some fun obedience or rally events. If she tries really hard she can remember back to her lessons when she also went to puppy class once a week. LOL.

So I set up a jump in the backyard. Note the high end materials used to make it.

Wait you're supposed to go OVER, not around. She actually did pretty well. She would stand on her head if you offered her a piece of dry kibble.
Maya on the other hand is another story....

She would do anything to AVOID doing any work.

It will be interesting to see how we do. Probably in the Fall. Right now there is lots of work that still needs to be done to pull off our Scrapbooking Crop.

A Look Back at Last Year's Crop

Some highlights from last year's fundraiser....

It was really interesting to hear first hand, the impact that having a Service Dog had on the family and what they can do for the kids.

Of course, having a chance to win these fabulous raffle prizes helped make the day even more fun.

Cake Raffle

You know how once you pick a theme, you seem to see it everywhere? I spotted an adorable ladybug cake pan and knew I had to have it. Way back when, I thought I would decorate cakes on the side and then I realized how much work it was and what a mess it makes in your kitchen. Anyway, I have resurrected my talent to make a couple of these for the Crop.

Maya thinks it looks pretty good, anyway.

I also did a golf bag cake for my Dad's birthday and golf tournament next weekend but you likely won't be seeing THIS cake again. It was really fussy and I had to mix a lot of colours but I think it turned out pretty good. Dad will eat it anyway and say it looks good cuz that's what Dad's do! 

Don't worry, I won't be serving stale baked goods at the Crop. These cakes freeze really well and I like to do most of the food preparation at the last minute so its as fresh as possible.

Friend of Lindor Spotlight

While I am thrilled to have the support of several corporate sponsors (more on this later), I am blessed to have so many friends and family that are willing to chip in their support in so many ways to help me make Lindor's crop such a great day! One of those people is my friend Corrina whom you have met in an earlier blog post. She is super kind-hearted and so fun to hang around and even better, she's an amazing seamstress! We come up with so many ideas when we're sitting around chatting and before I know it, she's doing them and donating them to the Crop. SO here's a sneak peek at some of the things she has created.

Who says aprons are old-fashioned? These gorgeous items from Riley Blake Designs are sure to be a hit in the kitchen. This will be in the raffle at the Crop.

Some lovely fabric which is also going to make an appearance at the Crop. I'll leave it at that.

Wouldn't this brighten your day? This just may end up as a beautiful quilt that will be up for grabs in the raffle. The touching part about this quilt is that purple is Corrina's favourite colour so it says a lot that she is giving away something that she would really LOVE herself. I know she is busily sewing away this weekend for me, not herself and I want her to know that her efforts are much appreciated and her kindness will be magnified down the road when one more deserving family gets a Service dog to help ease their lives just a little.

Japanese Chicken

So enough about the dogs already. Well, I'm sure I'll keep talking about them and the Crop Fundraiser that is rapidly coming up but for now I thought I would post a recipe. This is a really fast and tasty recipe. I got it off a blog awhile ago and I've been making it ever since.  Great with Basmati Rice.

Japanese Chicken
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
Dredge in flour and brown.
Mix sauce:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
Pour over browned chicken in a casserole dish and bake at 350F for an hour or so.

It doesn't get any easier then that and its very yummy.

FIrst Puppy Class

I was able to go see some of the pups in their first puppy class. At only 9 weeks of age, they are already going to school. The first lesson they learn is focus.

They are always rewarded for their good response.

This group of pups did really well at their first lesson. It is very rewarding to watch them grow and learn. I am also reminded of the dedicated Volunteers who so lovingly and unselfishly give their time and love to these dogs so they can go on to do great things for their future families.
Kingsley, Krosby, Kasper, Kobe, Khloe and Koko are on their way!

A Coat of Every Colour

One of the best things about volunteering with a doggie based organization is that I've met many like-minded individuals. As in "dog crazy" like myself. We try to help each other out with dog-sitting etc as its not always easy to find accomodation for your 4 legged friends when you want to travel etc.
This is one of my favourite pictures from when I was pet sitting last summer. I had one of each colour. So pretty and looking so well-behaved. LOL.
Meet Velvet, Lindor, Equoia and Maya.

Afternoon Nap

This is what happens when you forget to put the hangers back on the couch when you go for a nap.

The dogs are not allowed on my living room furniture and instead of blocking off the room or putting the cushions up, I use a tip that someone gave me years ago. Put a couple metal coat hangers on the flat surface and that will do the trick. It works really well to keep the pets off ( if you remember to put them back ON!) and doesn't look too unslightly. Did I  mention that I have FOUR overpriced dog beds strewn around the home already as an alternate sleeping location?

Easter Weekend

What a beautiful weekend, the sun was shining and it was a really nice break.
I'm usually in charge of desserts at our family gatherings. I've been baking for many years and I take after my Mom who was very well regarded for her love of good old fashioned cooking and baking.
This year, I wasn't sure if I would still have the puppies or not so my back up plan was this fabulous Mocha cake from the Dutch store/bakery near where I grew up.

I think you have to have some Dutch blood to have a fondness for mocha but I personally can't get enough of it. Maybe this might make an appearance at the Cake Raffle in June. Wouldn't THAT be great?
It turns out, I did have some time since the babies were gone and I'm almost done the enormous cleanup and putting away of all the puppy "stuff". So I thought I would try making this......

Coconut Cream pie from scratch!!!
It's one of my favourite pies but usually I just pick it up from the Stone Crock Bakery in St. Jacobs.
Well, if you've never had real coconut cream pie you just haven't lived. This dessert takes a bit of time but it's worth it in the end. You can find the recipe on a blog I read called Favourite Family Recipes. It's posted on March 30th. Sorry, I'll learn how to do the linking one of these days.

I was also able to whip up a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and some butter tarts. As they say, go BIG or go HOME!  I'm a bit of an over-achiever.

Life Goes on

Well, I'm starting to pick up the pieces now that the puppies are gone and one of the first things on the agenda was to get Maya groomed. You have met Maya before but I never really said too much about her. All my life, I had Dalmatians. In fact, most of them were named Pepper (so original). My last Dal was Bailey and she was the love of my life. There will never be another dog like her and it took me 2 years after her passing before I was able to get another. I thought this time I would just pick up a mutt and I did a lot of research and fell into the big trend to get a Lab x Standard Poodle cross. Of course, I got the one that sheds AND barks but she is also very gentle and very sweet with people (once you get in the door, that is. LOL)
Maya gets groomed several times a year but I don't mind when she looks like a mop doll either. Just easier to keep the house clean when her fur is short. This is the first time, she came home without a beard!

BEFORE

AFTER

She feels like a velour blanket. Her fur is very fine, the kind that floats around when you try and sweep it into the dust bin. I PROMISE, I won't talk about dogs all the time. In fact, I have already started back into the baking making butter tarts and carrot cake for Easter. More on that later.

The Empty Nest

Well, all good things must come to an end.  No more seeing this first thing in the morning....

Or snapping pictures like this......

Instead there is only this..... waiting to be cleaned and disassembled.

I like to send the pups off to their new homes with a little package from Mom.  They got some treats, some toys (compliments of my friend Kathy, isn't the foot something?) and a photo of Mom Lindor.

I made a cute little tag to wish them well. LOVE the paw punch!

The pups actually starting leaving last Thursday but I couldn't bear to stop posting pictures of them.

Three went to Guide Dogs in a reciprocal arrangement that pays for the donated Stud fee. Goodbye Miss Pink, Miss Violet and Lil' Red. I hope you have a good life and successful career perhaps helping a blind person to live independently.

Mr. Kingsley also left the same day but he was going to NSD so I will see him again.

The rest of the pups left Friday to start a new adventure with their NSD puppy raisers. I'm not too sad because I will see them in a couple weeks. They start obedience classes right away and they all stayed local so I will not be missing them for long.

Now, I can have my life back and catch up on all the stuff I didn't get to when I had my babies to tend to. Stay tuned as I will keep updating our Crop progress as things move forward. Thanks for listening.

Easter Egg Hunt

We had to have the Egg hunt a little early as the puppies will not be here for Easter. They really enjoyed searching for the Golden Egg!

This is why I LOVE LABS!  They are so tolerant and will do almost anything for a "cookie".

The Last Visitors

I was able to squeeze in one final set of visitors. Keri brought her daughter Jessica and her friend Janine, who is a fellow Lab lover.  Jessica was the only one brave enough to enter the "fray" but everyone enjoyed a little snuggle time with the babies. Aren't the pups getting huge?

Keri is very talented and creative and is working on a special prototype of a treat that fits the theme for our Lindor crop. I'm glad that I have all these friends that are willing to help me out with my little project. Won't be long now.

Socializing the pups

Now that the pups are weaned off Mom, it's important that they see lots of different people and get handled frequently. My friend C and her fearless daughter bravely answered the call to come and have a puppy playtime.

What is it about shoelaces and strings that puppies find so irresistible?

I fear that the pups have inherited Lindor's love of licking when she's happy. I quite often call her Lick-dor.

Corrina and I have a lot of fun with our little challenges and goal setting. We started a plan in January,  we called Twelve in 12 and one of our mutual goals was to create, or in my case, learn how to do 6 things on my Blog. I have accomplished this goal but there is still room for improvement. If you want to check out her blog go to www.anotherthingoffthelist.blogspot.com (I hope this link works because its one of the Blog things I HAVEN'T learned yet. Lol)