Puppy Shopping Checklist

I'm sure this shopping checklist is a no-brainer for the veteran dog owners but, before Lola, I hadn't owned a dog in many, many years and was honestly worried I would forget something important before the night of her arrival. I spoke with several friends and got some great advice for my initial shopping list.

Aside from the initial essentials, there's a few other specifics you may need depending on the breed or age of your new pup.

Puppy/Dog Toys: 

Chew/Rubber toys

Fetch balls

Rawhide

Cleaning Supplies:

Puppy shampoo
Puppy cleansing wipes

Nail clippers

Pick-up bags

Pooper Scooper

Training Supplies:
Pee pads
Training treats
Crate that comes with a divider

Puppy Walking: 

Small collar
Harness (for certain breeds)
Retractable leash

Funny story is I bought a harness (pictured above) that was small enough for a cat or very tiny puppy so had to return it for something bigger/thicker for a baby English bulldog.



I also bought her a cute Christmas collar that's adjustable for when she gets bigger each year.

 

Puppy Healthcare:

Dental supplies

First-aid kit

Flea & tick treatment

Vitamins & medications

The venison formula pictured above was also a lifesaver to make meatballs and hide her meds/pills inside. She loved them!!

Enjoy your new bundle of love!

Holiday Card Linkup

I was so happy to be paired up with the lovely Emelia from Dream Big & Buy The Shoes. I had never visited her blog before so I was immediately introduced to a new blogger friend. We both agreed neither of us are exactly the crafty type but she spoiled me with two cute Christmas cards as well as a Starbucks gift card.

Loved Emelia's sweet message in her holiday card and she really went the extra mile by including a gift card. Thanks lady!

Starbucks Frapuccinos here I come!!

And a bonus card came in the mail from the girls at The Sequin Notebook.

Thank you again Emelia for the lovely cards and gift card and also a thanks to B & M from the Sequin Notebook for hosting the Holiday Card Swap.

Happy Holidays lovelies!

Slow Cooker Spiced Brisket

A coworker of mine shared her Spiced Brisket recipe with me and I changed it up to my liking. At first it seems like a lot of liquid to use but the brisket soaks it up nicely to create a juicy amazing taste and the leftovers are even better. 

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef brisket
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp mined garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 cups beef stock
1 cup ketchup
1 cup chili sauce
1 cup brown sugar

What To Do:
Pour 1 tbsp of olive in slow cooker and grease the bottom nicely before placing the brisket flat at the bottom of the crock pot.

Saute onions with remainder of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in the dry spices (paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic and onion powders, black pepper) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside. Pour mixture on top of the brisket and spread evenly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar. Pour over onion/spice mixture in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours (or 5-6 hours on high).

The consistency may look watery throughout cooking but the brisket really soaks up the juices and will help to keep it from drying up throughout cooking for that long period of time. Let cool for a couple hours before serving so the juices can set in even more.

We LOVED this recipe and briskets are great for leftovers because the flavor will soak up even more overnight.

Enjoy!

** We will be taking a break from the Recipe Swap next Tuesday 12/30 due to the holidays **

1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin. 

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

Christmas Time Weekending

We meet again here on a Monday but luckily it's a short work week. I had a fairly low-key weekend which was much needed. On Friday, we did a Secret Santa gift exchange at work and I was gifted some puppy treats, a dog photo frame tree ornament and a gift card for Alex and Ani.   

    
We spent Friday night at home with Lola and she loved her new puppy teething rings.

On Saturday, I relaxed with Lola all day while nursing a migraine. I made these beef bites from Trader Joe's which are a really good snack or appetizer to take to a party. 

On Saturday night we went to a friend's holiday housewarming party and had a great night out with friends.

On Sunday, I got to sleep in which felt great. Later in the day we took Lola on a little road trip to visit friends and their baby girl who is exactly the same age as Lola (born a day apart). 

I'm looking forward to spending Christmas this week with family and friends.

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Friday's Favorites: Christmas is Near

Happy Friday! 

I'm so relieved this is the last full week of work before the holidays begin. I usually travel to visit my family and friends every other Christmas (and this would be the year) but I have to head there for two weddings next year so another plane ticket is just not doable. 

I'm totally okay having a quiet Christmas at home to spend time with Lola while she's a puppy and also have Christmas dinner with K's family. My baby girl is growing every week and I don't want to miss it.

I had a late birthday dinner last night with the ladies. It was fun catching up over some tapas and wine. My girl friend who is also pregnant and due next week made it out. She amazes me!

Between my husband, girl friends and coworkers I was spoiled with so many lovely gifts. I got 3 new Alex and Ani bracelets to add to my collection. The puppy paw is from Kate which was on my wishlist and I love it!

The Tinkerbell bangle was from our trip to Disney over the weekend and K got me the starfish one for my birthday since he knows I have a weird love for starfish.

I also got these Hello Kitty pajamas from Japan in Epcot last weekend.

Yes, I'm 31. I like comfy and warm (maybe not bright pink) pajamas. I was trying to get them in navy blue but they didn't have my size and K was getting impatient. Ta da! I have the ugliest cutest PJ's ever. They are warm and I like them (behind closed doors).

 OK, so no more birthday talk until next December. Joining Amanda for Friday Favorites.

Favorite Recipe:
Heather @ My Little HEA's Peppermint Mocha Mudslide

Favorite Funnies:

Favorite New Blogger:
Sarah Emily from Coffee & Glitter is such as sweetheart and also from Florida. I must say she has a pretty awesome middle name too. She has the cutest fur babies and who doesn't love coffee and glitter?

Favorite Siting: 

Random messages in the sky. Hello Jesus!

Have a great weekend!

2014 Year in Review

Looking back at the year, I think 2014 treated me really well and I did lots of traveling and fun things with friends and family while also keeping up with my full-time job as well as Martinis & Bikinis. It wasn't always easy and I've had ups and downs but I try to focus on the positives.

January

I was sent to Vegas by my company for a work convention and stayed at MGM Grande.  Since it was my first time visiting Vegas, I took a few days off of work to tour the strip and K came along to join the fun. 

February

Kate and I started our Tuesday Recipe Swap linkup which has been fun keeping up with and trying out new recipes every week. Feel free to join us every Tuesday if you have a recipe or food related post you want to share.

March

 Celebrated St Patrick's day with friends...

Also traveled to San Francisco for another work conference which was amazing! I used my free time to do a bus tour and visit the Golden Gate Bridge. I love this city and just found out I will be going back next year for the same conference. Woo hoo!

April

Went to New Orleans for a bachelorette with a group of 8 ladies and partied up and down the streets. My NOLA bachelorette trip recap.

I also threw an Easter dinner party for friends at my house.

May

Spent Memorial weekend at St Pete beach for a beach front wedding and stayed a couple nights at the hotel with friends.

June

We traveled to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for another wedding. Punta Cana is by far one of the most beautiful destinations I've visited to date.

Later in June, my work took us on a company beach vacation to St Pete beach.

July

Celebrated 4th July with friends at a pool party.

August

August was a fairly uneventful month. We made a few beach trips and I went to a baby shower and a gender reveal party for friends. We also lost our cat Skyh who was 12 years old. 

September

We visited Chicago with Kate and her hubby for K's birthday. We toured the city, went on a river boat cruise tour, ate some great meals, went to a baseball game at Wrigley Field and had an absolute blast! We all loved Chi town.

October

My parents came to visit for 2 weeks from Trinidad. We went for a beach weekend trip to Treasure Island on the west coast of Florida and stayed at a condo for a few days.

My best friend of almost 25 years came to visit me from Trinidad to go wedding shopping. We shopped til we dropped and had so much find spending QT together.

November

Our wrinkly baby joined our family and has been keeping us very busy. She made a 2 hour road trip with us to celebrate Thanksgiving and even got a little piece of turkey to try.

December

My work holiday party at Universal Studios and City Walk.

 

Celebrated my 31st birthday with K at Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

Witnessed the marriage of two good friends and had a blast at their wedding. 

2014 was my first full year in the 30's and WOW was it a fun year!

Looking forward to what 2015 has in store for me!