I have taken to wandering around the gardening aisles of Target and Lowe’s. I can’t wait for everything to be green again, and to dig into the mess that is currently my garden (notice the mean bunny that sits there and torments Murray):

I spied the sweetest gardening line at Target last week – the new Liberty of London collection that can be seen in splashy patterns and funky colors throughout the store.

If I didn’t already have tools from last year, I would be all over this. I think a tool set and some sweet gloves would be a perfect gift for anyone wanting to plant flowers or start a garden this year! I may have to get that adorable watering can at the top, though.

The rest of the Liberty line is pretty sweet too – especially the plates and such:

You can scope out the Liberty of London items here, but unfortunately the online store is sold out of the gardening goods. So, look at your local store if you are interested!

Have a beautiful weekend,

He will be the most fashionable dog on the block. I’ll let you know how long it takes him to destroy his new collar.

I also wanted this, but A. says no to bone-shaped decor:

What kind of accessories do you have for your pooch? Cute collars and leashes? Fancy dog beds? Do tell.

Happy Wednesday!

• My husband was out of town.
• I slept in way too long.
• I finally managed to catch the poor stray cat that has been (loudly) freezing to death outside our house.
• I lost my cell phone under a pile of laundry.
• I drove the cat to the shelter and sort of got lost on the way there.
• I didn’t get to go shopping with K because of the feline situation…and sort of the getting lost situation…
• I swept the entire first floor and mopped to get rid of all the sand and salt and nasty winter stuff.
• I tried to train the dog to use his new dog bed. It went poorly:

• …and then all of a sudden it went well:

• And then it went poorly again:

• And then, when I decided to call it a night, I hastily grabbed the dog bed off the mantel to head upstairs.
• And then this happened:

• And then I may have cried a little.

• Then I swept the floor again.
• And promptly went to bed.

Today is going much better

Amping up for Monday,

Isn’t it pretty, sitting there on the mantel?

Oh wait…did I say he loved it? Well, it’s a tough kind of love – the kind of love where you chew and rip things apart as fast as you can. After removing several large hunks of the inner foam, his bed was taken away.

This has pretty much been my day:

He seems truly sorry.

But that’s just because you can’t hear the growling.

Still finding pieces of foam,

Unfortunately, I have no beautifully plated photos of the dinner I made tonight. But, believe you me, it was delicious. Just ask Murray.

I had weird ingredients on hand, so I sort of combined this recipe with this recipe and made some magic.

Pear and Sage Pork Chops

• some flour
• a few dashes paprika
• some dried sage
• salt and pepper
• 2 center-cut pork chops, not too thick
• a few tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• chopped sweet onions
• peeled, thickly sliced ripe pears
• a splash of dry white wine

1. Dash seasonings onto pork chops. Rub flour on top. Flip over and do it again!
2. Heat a little bit of butter in a big skillet. Add chopped sweet onions and begin to caramelize. Add the pears and let it all brown a bit. Yum. Splash in some (a few tablespoons) dry white wine and let it simmer down. Move onions and pears to a bowl and set aside.
3. Melt a little bit more butter and a small glug of olive oil in the skillet on med-high heat. Place the pork chops in the buttery goodness and brown them nicely on one side. Flip them over, pour some chicken broth into the pan, and cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes. Add back in the pears/onions and juices, and heat through.
4. Serve with whipped potatoes, green beans, and some white wine.
5. Move your dirty dishes away from the edge of the sink.
6. Or, alternately, just take pictures while your dog gets pork chop juice in his beard.

I can’t blame him. It really was that good.

Avoiding the dishes,