Buffy

I want to make a difference in the world. Once day I want to look back on my life and know that I did all I could to make the world a better place. It's easy to go through day-to-day life wrapped up in your own bubble - thinking about how things affect you and only you, crying oh poor me. When you stop and take things into perspective though, you realize how good most of really do have it. Anyway, I digress...

As you know I've been fostering dogs on and off. I got a call that some tiny tots needed a place to stay for the week, until they could be transferred to their rescue group in Minnesota. I thought, how bad could a week be? WELLLLL it was a mess - these poor things all had kennel cough! I don't know if you've ever experienced kennel cough before, but it's non-stop excessive coughing. Did I mention that it's excessive and non-stop?!

On day 1 I took in the 2 small chihuahuas. They were taken from a hoarders house who had something crazy like 15 dogs and 25 cats. The pictures of house were CRAZY! On day 2 I found out, that they had left a little gremlin behind... they wanted to know if I would be able to take him too? Being the mush that I am I said yes. I was told that these little guys didn't have names, so it would be my responsibility to find perfect names for all 3.

I chose the obvious name for the guy on the left... Gremlin. He looks small in this picture, but trust me he's a solid 25 lbs. The 5 lb guy on the right I named Bob. I thought a big name for a small dog was the perfect name.

Then there was the little girl, Bob's sister and BFF. She was a bit fussy. She didn't really like me at first, but we grew on each other. Actually she really wasn't a fan of most people. You could tell she just wanted to do her own thing and not be bothered by others. Before I knew it, she wouldn't leave my arms. It was then that I knew I had to name her after my favorite person in my building... Buffy. Let's just say I saw a lot of similar personality traits between them. Buffy the person, unlike the dog, was a well seasoned woman. She had done so much with her life and was extremely interesting. I wasn't sure if I should tell Buffy that I had named my newest foster after her, she might be offended, but I thought imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so I told her. Guess what, she LOVED it! <3

Bye Bye Stratus, Hello Benzo

After my car accident, my Uncle Tony gave me a Dodge Stratus. It's been a bit of a love hate relationship... as in we both hated each other ;) 3 weeks ago, The Strati, finally decided to kill itself (busted transmission).

In the meantime, I was taking public transportation, but on Monday I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a car. I went to the dealership to look at CTS, but ended up settling on an E350. First I had to see how I looked in the car... HaHa

After much debate I decided I was ready to start the car buying process. I told my salesman Anthony to move over so I could input all my information into the computer.

And eventually I decided to sign my life away...

 ... and it was official, I bought my first car!

HELLO GORGEOUS! 

PS I named her Benny... Bah bah bah Benny and the Jets!

Sweet Home Chicago

I've been living in Chicago for over 2 years now and I absolutely love it. Moving was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I'm so thankful and blessed that I get to see this view every day...

I love you Chicago!

Introducing Foster #3 : Mr. Al

I got a call the other day about a possible foster, Mr. Al. He was dropped off at the shelter with his eye hanging out of its socket. Yes, you read that correctly. The owners of the dog said they couldn't afford to take him to the vet. Thankfully one of the vets on hand at Animal Care and Control performed emergency surgery and added a skin graft on this little pups eye. Due to the severity of his injury, it was imperative that he was put into a home so as to avoid infection. 

Of course I couldn't say no to this adorable little guy. He was named Mr. Al, based off of Al Pacino's movie Scarface. He's such a little ham! Like Daisy, he's super affectionate and also follows me EVERYWHERE i go. He may look sad (because of his eye), but he's such a happy dog. I've noticed a little separation anxiety, when I leave the house. This seems to be a normal behavior of dogs that come out of the shelter... but can you blame them?! 

After a couple of days I was notified that someone was interested in taking Mr. Al. It was like a dagger to my heart. I was already head over heels for him. How could this all be happening so quickly? After my 2nd foster, I was told that it would start getting easier. Well someone lied to me!

When the car came to pick him up, I stood on the corner sobbing. I didn't want him to go. This definitely wasn't getting any easier.

A couple weeks later, I received these awesome photos. Mr. Al's eye looks so much better!!

Isn't he the sweetest little rescue you've ever seen?!

Ikea Hack with O'verlay

As you know I've slowly been decorating my apartment. I have this small space between the bathroom and my wardrobe, which just fit this simple, slightly ugly Micke Ikea desk perfectly. Even with this little set up, the space looked so drab. That was until I ordered a custom decorative strip from O'verlay (Similar size here). 

The O'verlay is made of a sturdy plastic, which is made specifically for Ikea furniture and easily adhere's to anything with glue dots. Of course, I had to pick the Greek key! LOL

While it was pretty in white, it wasn't really standing out on the desk drawer where I wanted to put it, so I decided to get fancy and paint it gold.

 I LOVE IT! I swear it changes the entire look of the space and makes the desk look so much nicer. It might be one of my favorite things in my apartment. I want to O'verlay everything now!

When I was at Ikea, I also got this cute kitchen cart, which I'm using a bar cart. ADORABLE!!

Easily Delicious Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

I almost died when I found this recipe. Two of my favorite things mixed together. DUH Why didn't I think of this earlier?! Best part, is that the recipe is SUPER easy. Thank you Pinterest!

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies

You'll Need:

1 cup or 2 sticks butter, room temperature
2/3 cup peanut butter (you can use creamy or crunchy)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3-2/3 cup Nutella (depending on how much you like it)

Directions:
Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt to the butter mixture.

Add Nutella in dollops over the top of the dough. Use a butter knife to swirl the Nutella through the dough, but be careful not to over mix.

Chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes before spooning onto a cookie sheet, in order to firm the Nutella.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Bake until slightly brown at the edges and then let cool a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a plate.

Enjoy!

Green Beans, Zucchini, and Tomatoes - YUM!

My mom is one of the best cooks. She has so many amazing dishes that I have a hard time picking my favorites. This is from the Greek side of the family and not only healthy, but really easy to make. 

You'll need:

1 lb Fresh Green Beans

1 can Whole Tomatoes

1 Medium Zucchini 

1/2 Chopped Onions (I like a lot)

1 Clove of Garlic

Olive Oil

Oregano, Salt, and Pepper

Start by cooking your green beans with salt, until firm (about 20 minutes). Drain. 

Add a little oil, chopped onions, and a clove of garlic to a deep pan and simmer.

Now dump in 1 can of whole or diced tomatoes (I prefer whole tomatoes) and swish the can with water. Add spices, green beans, and cover.

Simmer until color becomes a deeper red (at least 30 min) then add zucchini. Cook/simmer for 10 or so more minutes.

While this dish is amazing straight out of the pot, it usually tastes even better the next day. So even though it might be tempting, put this bad boy into the fridge until tomorrow. Trust me, it's totally worth the wait.

ENJOY! <3