Carrot and Banana Pupcakes

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by Two Tails With Matt & Ali in Cooking & Baking, Kylie & Jimmy

Personally I love to bake… the problem is, I also love to eat what I bake. So making 2 dozen cookies seems like a good idea, but then Matt and I end up eating them all in just a couple days. Not so good for my ever growing waistline.

So, what to do when that urge to bake hits? Whip up some Pupcakes for the dogs!

First, here are all the things you will need. It just so happened we had them all laying around the kitchen!

You have to shred the carrots and mash the bananas! This will leave your kitchen smelling great! And I’m sure by now if your pups are anything like Kylie, they will be right at your side!

(I mashed the banana after the picture. I think we can all agree that mashed banana isn’t as appealing in a photograph…)

Then you mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another bowl like so:

The next step is you have to mix the wet stuff into the dry stuff real carefully.
(There are no pictures to this step because I wasn’t exactly careful and well, learn from my mistake, mix slowly! Haha!)

In the end, it should look like this!

yummmm- can you smell it?? Kylie was just BEGGING to get a lick in!

I can’t really blame her, it smells delish!!

Now, how to bake them? In the past we have done ‘cakes’ but this time we scooped them into the pupcake tin. Matt has tins that he loves- but they are GIGANTIC and the dogs can’t have a treat that big or else I will be paying the price later… if you know what I mean. So I went and dug around in the attic until I found these,

They are perfect size! You might even be able to give your pooch 2 or 3 when they are that small!!

Into the oven you go little ones!

Now the hard part, the waiting…

I took the quick and easy way out for the ‘frosting’ and picked up some Whipped Cream Cheese and slapped a little on the top of each.

These were a huge hit with my pups and all the pups in the neighborhood! What do you like to make for you or your dogs??

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Thanks!
- Ali

Review: The Flatbread Co. Portland, ME

10 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by Two Tails With Matt & Ali in Kylie & Jimmy, Reviews, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Back in June, Matt, Kylie, Jimmy and I went on a “Mini” vacation up to Portland Maine. It was a chance to get out of town and try some new adventures. We had never gone away to a hotel with the dogs. Of course, traveling with dogs created the need to find dog friendly dining since we couldn’t leave the pups alone at the room. A quick search on Bringfido.com and we got a quick list of local restaurants that allow dogs.

The Flatbread Co. is right along the the pier. A walk around brings you to the back patio dining, Dog Friendly!

We had a great view for our meal.

Jimmy spent most of his time hiding out under the table.

Kylie was keeping close.

We watched the boats going in and out while we waited for our food. We went on the later side, around 8:00pm and the deck area was pretty much empty- only one other couple who was finishing up. Our waitress was very slow/distracted but just kept apologizing when she did come out. She knew her menu but didn’t really listen when we said we already knew what we wanted and was kinda pushy. I had tucked my dogs on the far side of the long picnic table and I cautioned her the first time she came over that she shouldnt come to that side of the table… One of my dogs, Kylie, doesn’t like strangers. The very next time she walked out with our drinks she walked up behind my dog and basically stepped on her. My dog reacted only by barking but it’s frustrating since I had JUST said that she doesn’t like strangers. We were cold by the end of our meal and she still stood there trying to talk us into dessert. She forgot 2 times to bring our check out- again, cold and dark out now! The food was ok, not a huge fan of that kind of pizza.

If in Portland, ME and looking for a dog friendly place to grab a drink, you can check out the Flatbread Co.

72 Commercial Street
Old Port
Portland, ME, US 04101
(207) 772-8777

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Thanks!
- Ali

What a view!

09 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by Two Tails With Matt & Ali in Photography

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It’s nice to stop and just look around and take in the beauty of my little town.

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Thanks!
- Ali

A quick before and after

08 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by Two Tails With Matt & Ali in Crafts, Reviews

≈ 1 Comment

I had a lot of fun with an old set of dirty patio chairs from a friend!

First there was a good scrubbing with some soapy bleach water.

Then there was about 8 can’s of spray paint…

This Krylon Leather Brown paint worked great. I had been warned that painting these would be a bad idea since they had a chipping finish on them and the new paint would peal off like the old on the wicker. I have to say it went on very easily and smooth with minimal dripping. It did take a lot of cans to get full coverage but hopefully they will hold up and last a long time.

I would say they have come a long way, wouldn’t you?? I finished them off with a couple new cushions from Christmas Tree Shop for $15 each!

This ‘new’ set complement our back yard along the river nicely!!

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Thanks!
Ali

All reviews are my own. I purchased the products and am sharing my opinion of them.

Shabby Chic Dangly Earring Display

18 Sunday Sep 2011

Posted by Two Tails With Matt & Ali in Crafts

≈ 1 Comment

As soon as I saw Amanda from KevinandAmanda.com make one of these, I knew I had to try it! Only recently did I start adding hoops and dangly earrings to my collection. I was always a pretty simple stud or small drop kinda girl. Now that I have more of a selection, I have no were to put them! I jumped at the chance this weekend to give it a go and make my very own Dangly Earring Display.

This was actually my second frame. My first one ended up being hollow on the backside which didn’t leave anywhere to attach the wires! In a pinch, I had this one laying around.

This was such a simple project, all you needed was a foam brush, some paint and for easy cleanup, a paper plate! (I forgot to throw the wire in the photo, but you’ll need that too!)

I was in Walmart and lo and behold, they had the paint I wanted! Saved me a trip to the craft store! Now that the project is done, I might need to rethink my color choice. My walls are beige and most of my earrings at this point are silver. So it needs a little something. Maybe I can spice it up with a color frame! Any suggestions on color?

As you can see in the first photo, my backup frame was very simple. It didn’t have that molding/wood feel. I felt kinda silly doing a distressed look on something so modern looking. So I got a little creative while painted and tried to add in some corners… what do you think??

Now time for the wire. Again, back up frame gave me some challenges. But we ended up getting the wires attached with a staple gun. As for measuring the spaces? I started too, but ended up pretty much just eyeballing it. They look straight right? hehehe

I have to say my faux corners helped make the piece look more authentic, but somewhere down the line if I make another one, I will be sure to use a more wood looking frame.

My little earrings look lost on it! I love my apple studs a student had given me!

So that’s it!! I am really happy with the way it came out, and I woke up and walked by it and loved having a clean dresser top! Thanks to Amanda for such a great idea!!

Let me know if you try to make one, I would love to see it!!

Thanks for stopping by! Please tell your friends about us and follow us on Facebook (TwoTailswithMattandAli) and Twitter (@TwoTailsMattAli)!

Thanks!
Ali

Book Review: “Stay: A Novel” By Allie Larkin

12 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by Two Tails With Matt & Ali in Reviews

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Title: Stay
Author: Allie Larkin
ISBN: 9780525951711
Pages: 320

Summary:
Savannah “Van” Leone has been in love with Peter Clarke ever since she literally fell head over heels in front of him on the first day of college. Now, six years later, instead of standing across from him at the altar, Van’s standing behind her best friend Janie as maid of honor, trying to mask her heartache and guilt as Janie marries the only man Van’s ever loved. Before, Van’s mother died, she told Van never to let Peter go, but as the couple exchanges vows, Van wonders if her fairy tale ending will ever come true.

After the wedding, Van drowns her sorrows in Kool-Aid-vodka cocktails and reruns of Rin Tin Tin, and does what any heartbroken woman in her situation would do: She impulsively buys a German Shepherd over the Internet. The pocket-size puppy Van is expecting turns out to be a clumsy, hundred-pound beast who only responds to commands in Slovak, and Van is at the end of her rope… until she realizes that this quirky giant may be the only living being who will always be loyal to her, no matter what.

Review:
This is a great book! Obviously I am a dog person and that is what drew me to it, but I have to say, that is not what kept me turning the pages! The dog is great and as a dog person I could relate and laugh out loud at some of Joe’s antics but it was Van’s personality and humor and her relationships old and new that had me finish this book in about 5 hours!! I wouldn’t classify this as a ‘dog’ book, but a romance comedy. What girl doesn’t have a secret crush and what girl hasn’t had the awkward stage of starting a new romance. Can’t wait for the next book!!

Thanks for stopping by! Please follow us on Facebook (TwoTailswithMattandAli) and Twitter (@TwoTailsMattAli)!

-Ali

Louisa Lake & the Milford Bike Trail

06 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by Two Tails With Matt & Ali in Kylie & Jimmy, Travel

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This Labor Day Monday was a great chance for us to venture to a local spot we have never been before! A friend of mine had the day off and we talked about bringing Kylie and Jimmy and their good buddy Bristol with us for a morning of fresh air before it got too hot and humid. Mother Nature sure has been a little moody with us here in New England! First Tornados this summer, and Earthquake and a Hurricane! I’m a little afraid to go outside sometimes!

So, right down the street from my friend in Milford, MA there is a great public parking area and access to the Upper Charles River Bike Trail that goes all around to neighboring towns! A perfect place to meet and take a few pictures!

When you get there you are greeted by a great big sign letting you know all the rules and who to thank for putting this all together.

There is a cute little community bulletin board too! I hardly ever see these around anymore back when people used to use ink and paper to post messages!!Walking up over the hill was a real treat and I had to stop for a second and take it all in. I forget that such beautiful places aren’t just on other peoples blogs far away, it’s right here if I just take a minute to stop and look around me. You can start to see the fall colors coming it! I can’t wait for the crisp cool air and the warm smell of apple cider and pumpkin bread… mmmm… But, I digress from our walk!!

The community even put in a whole picnic area over looking the lake. Wouldn’t you want to pack the kids up some weekend or take a little longer lunch break with your pup and enjoy the fresh air and tranquil views!! I sure would!!

Just to the left is a beautiful waterfall with a big river rock-bed. I am surprised after Hurricane Irene it’s not completely covered. I think waters around here receded pretty quickly. We were very lucky!

The bike trail is a great place for me to walk the dogs, them being black and shaggy I always worry about ticks, even with a monthly preventative. But who wants to always walk around a town and city? The bike trail offers a paved area to walk the dogs and keep them bug free (We always check before we get in the car anyways!) and still offer more to see then just building after building. This field stretched out SO far and really made me question if I was still in Massachusetts and not teleported to some place in Kansas!

All during our walk you could make out different church steeples peaking out over the tree tops. I wish I had stopped to take pictures of more!

So I can’t believe that I completely forgot to take a group photo of the pups! This photo was from a walk we took at Hopkinton State Park back in April. Jimmy is a bit taller now but other then that, they all look the same!

Thanks for stopping by! Please follow us on Facebook (TwoTailswithMattandAli) and Twitter (@TwoTailsMattAli)!

Hopefully we have our attempt at a super cute craft project for the little girl I nanny coming up by the end of the week!

Thanks!
Ali

Bookshelf Makeover

05 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by Two Tails With Matt & Ali in Crafts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

black, bookshelf, craft, makeover

For starters, thanks for stopping by! We are so excited to have a new blog to share with everyone! Hopefully it will keep us more organized and busy with new fun projects! I have a list already starting with lots of things I want to try- so be ready!!

The first project I’m going to show you is a quick little makeover my sad little bookshelf got today! The room that I keep the shelf is also getting it’s own makeover- more on that later this week!- so in order to fit in, this little guy needed a little pazzas!

See, just so sad. It actually was given to me by a friend when they were moving. This little shelf has seen more moves then anyone should in 6 years! Well, there are still a few touch-ups (to the under side) that have to be done once it dries but Ta Da!!!

Doesn’t that look better?! The photo shows it pretty black, honestly it is kind of charcoal and I’m a bit sad. Hopefully it will “dry darker” as they say or else it will be getting a 3rd coat of DIFFERENT paint!

So, what do you think? It sure is gonna pop against the new paint on the walls in the 2nd bedroom, which you get to see later this week!! Thanks again for coming by and please like us on Facebook and Twitter!

-Ali