Alarm Clock Wars

Homemade Dog Biscuits

2013-06-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about Gooseberry Patch’s new cookbook, “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!” is that it includes a recipe for cat treats and one for dog treats. We can’t forget about our fluffy friends!

I am not one to normally make homemade snacks for my pets, but I had to give these recipes a try. And boy, were these dog biscuits a hit!

Start off with your dry ingredients – 2 cups whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup cornmeal, 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats (uncooked), and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Combine all these in a large bowl and give them a quick toss to get them mixed together.

Then combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl – 2 eggs (beaten), 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup molasses, and 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil.

Pour the wet ingredients into your dry ingredients...

…and mix together until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Roll the dough into a sheet about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.

Then pick your favorite cookie-cutter and cut out your biscuits.

Arrange the cut-outs onto greased cookie sheets, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

When your oven timer goes off, turn the oven off but leave the biscuits in the oven for another 20 minutes. This will get them good and crunchy. Then take the biscuits out, and cool them completely. Store them, at room temperature, in an airtight container.

Our Sadie loved these biscuits – they are apparently way better then the store-bought bones we had been giving her!

Here’s a printable recipe card for you…

Give them a try, and let me know how your furry family members like them!

Check out this post for some more recipes from “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!”

{Affiliate links were used in this post.}

Building a Raised Herb Garden

2013-06-14T06:30:00.000-05:00

I’ve always wanted an herb garden. We plant a huge garden every year, but Farmer Doc is mostly in charge of that. By the time I think about putting an herb section, the whole thing is planned, claimed, and planted. (If I thought ahead and asked, I’d get an herb section. But I don’t.)

I’ve tried a container herb garden inside. That didn’t go well. So I had a plan for this spring! I thought ahead of gardening season… So far ahead, that I decided I wanted my own raised herb garden, close to the kitchen.

We picked this spot, in front of the garage. There used to be a big ugly forsythia bush there. Farmer Doc pulled that out for me a few years ago, but we never got around to doing anything with the space. Now I have a plan!

This is part of the reason I like this spot – it’s super-close to the kitchen. This (should) make for easy herb picking when I’m getting dinner ready!

We started by laying cinder blocks for a base for the frame. (Ahem, when I say “we” throughout this post, I mostly mean Farmer Doc. He did all the heavy lifting here.)

With the back layer of block in place, Farmer Doc cut a piece of treated 4x6 to fit, and notched out the ends to make the corners easy to fit together.

He laid the side frame parts…

And finally the front of the frame.

Putting on the second layer was much easier than the first layer – all the leveling was already done!

Farmer Doc screwed the corners of the frame together, and then drilled a piece of steel through each corner into the ground. This will keep the frame together, and hold it in place on top of the cinder block base.

We let the frame sit for a few days. We said this was to give it time to settle, but really it’s because I was out of town and Farmer Doc was busy with the first hay cutting of the season.

Whatever the reason for the delay… we did get back to the herb garden. Farmer Doc got a bucket-full of dirt from cow mountain to fill most of the frame. (This is what that dirt is for – landscaping! The fact that the cows get to play on it is just a side benefit. For now.)

That was followed with a bucket-full of composted cow manure. The first layer of dirt isn’t very fertile – it came from the excavation of our new basement. The composted cow manure is some of the best fertilizer you will ever find. The only problem is that it grows weeds like nobody’s business… But I think I can manage to keep the weeds under control in this little 8-foot by 2-foot garden. (I hope.)

Farmer Doc mixed the not-so-great dirt together with the super-duper-awesome composted manure. Then he ~~jumped up and down~~ walked around on the pile a little to settle it, and leveled the whole thing out.

Finally, we topped it off with a layer of potting soil.

The next day, I got to planting! I had already gone shopping for my little plants, so I laid them out how I planned to plant them. I’m leaving a space on the left side of the bed for a tomato plant. We’ll have plenty of these in the main garden, but I want to have one here, too.

About an hour of digging, unpotting, planting, and watering later, and my herb bed looks pretty good!

We’re not quite finished with the whole project yet. We plan to use some of the Bedford stone that came off our house during the remodel to put a stone face on the bed. And we’ll mulch around the outside to cover the cinder block base.

Here’s the view of my kitchen from my new herb garden! I’m so excited!

Wondering which herbs I chose to plant? Check out the Real Farmwives of America & Friends in two weeks – I’ll be talking more about the herb garden there in a few weeks.

How is your garden growing this year? Do you even have it planted yet?

Homemade Cat Treats

2013-06-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

I have seen a bunch of recipes for homemade dog treats. But I had not seen a recipe for homemade cat treats before. (Granted, I hadn’t looked very hard.) When I found this recipe in Gooseberry Patch’s new cookbook, “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!” I knew I had to try it!

The recipe itself is pretty easy. Start with one egg and 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil.

Add 2 cans of tuna (drained and flaked).

Top it off with 1-1/2 cups of soft bread crumbs.

Using a fork, mix everything together.

This is the hard part. Okay, it’s not really hard… but it sure took a long time… By 1/4-1/2 teaspoon fulls, roll the tuna mixture into little balls and put them on greased baking sheets. (It took me two jelly roll pans.)

Bake them at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Take them out of the oven, and cool on the baking sheets. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Then feed them to your cats! I will admit, I was a little surprised at the cats who were interested, and the ones who were not. We have four cats. Two of them are traditionally sort of picky eaters, and the other two are definitely not picky. At all.

Turns out, the “picky” eaters loved these treats, and the “I’ll-eat-anything” cats were not interested. Even a little. Go figure.

So, our two picky eaters have a new fun snack that the other two cats don’t get! Who’s the smart cat now?

Here’s a printable recipe card for you.

Give them a try and let me know how your cats like them!

{Affiliate links were used in this post.}

June is Dairy Month

2013-06-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

And I love some dairy!

Farmer Doc and I are serious homemade ice cream makers. We make ice cream for every big event through the summer and fall. And for some not-so-big events. We are “famous” for our blackberry ice cream, but love to experiment with different flavors. Two years ago we perfected our pumpkin pie ice cream. Last year our cookies and cream was a big hit.

But all we have is a 6-quart ice cream maker. Which means that when we make ice cream, we really make ice cream. So we better have lots of friends around to help us eat it! And our standard ice cream recipe uses raw eggs. I usually don’t mind that, but I really shouldn’t eat raw eggs while I’m pregnant. So we needed to look for new ice cream recipes this year.
I was thrilled when Indiana’s Family of Farmers gave me this 1.5 quart counter-top ice cream maker to play with this month! This gave me the reason to go hunting up new recipes (that don’t include raw eggs), and a way to experiment with new flavors without making a 6-quart commitment!

(Can I just say… 1-1.5 quarts of homemade ice cream… ready in less than 20 minutes… right in my own kitchen… that is any pregnant woman’s dream come true!)

In less than one week we tried strawberry with big chunks of fresh strawberries. (This was my favorite!)

We tried mint ice cream with fresh mint leaves and chocolate peppermint candies. (We weren’t patient enough to wait for the bowl to be completely frozen, so this one didn’t freeze quite as nice as the others. But it still tasted great!)

We tried vanilla. And we slathered it in chocolate sauce.

Holy smoke, I am in ice cream heaven! We will definitely be tossing some blackberries in here once this year’s berries are ready!

Who needs to go out for ice cream when this powerhouse is in the kitchen?

I also received a pint-sized ice cream ball. We haven’t played with this one quite yet, but I anticipate that this will be one of Baby Doc’s first toys… You’re never too young to start making ice cream! Fill the outside compartment with ice and salt, fill the inside compartment with the ice cream ingredients and roll it around the floor. How easy is that? Everyone can play! (Husbands included!)

It’s like a hamster ball, but when you’re done playing with it you get to eat the ice cream instead of cleaning out the hamster pee! (This one is way more fun!)

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Have you tried to make it yourself before?

{Big thanks to Indiana’s Family of Farmers who provided me with some fun dairy tools. All thoughts, opinions, and photographs are my own.}

Best Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2013-06-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

June is National Turkey Lover’s Month, and it’s also National Dairy Month! I’m talking about turkeys on my other blog, so thought I’d hit the dairy angle here. Introducing… best baked macaroni & cheese! This recipe is from Gooseberry Patch’s new cookbook, “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!” (Check out this post for other tasty recipes from this cookbook!)

Start with 8 ounces of macaroni noodles. (I like the large elbows. Pick your favorite.) Cook them according to the package directions. Drain the cooked pasta, and return to the pot.

Whisk together 1 egg, 1 tablespoon hot water, and 1 teaspoon dry mustard.

Add the egg mixture and 1 cup of milk to the macaroni and give it a good stir.

Add most of a 12-ounce package of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese to the macaroni, and mix it all up. (Save about 3/4 cup of cheese.)

Pour the cheesy macaroni into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Top with the extra cheese.

If you want (and I sure did!), add a crunchy topping over the cheese. I used 2 tablespoons of melted butter mixed with 1/2 cup of Panko-style breadcrumbs. I love the Panko-style, but regular breadcrumbs or any kind of crushed cereal will work, too.

Bake macaroni, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Try it with the Super Saucy Meatballs!

Here is a printable recipe card for you!

Enjoy!

{Affiliate links were used in this post.}

Just a few things

2013-06-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

Martin is finally feeling better. I’m taking him back to Purdue this week for a recheck ultrasound of his heart and kidneys. We’re expecting good news. After all, he picked a fight with Pretzel and then cuddled on my lap last night.
I am officially half-way pregnant. Okay, I’m all the way pregnant. But I’m halfway through pregnancy. Or, to put it a different way, Baby Doc is half-cooked. (But certainly not half-sized!)
Farmer Doc is starting to cut our hay this week. He would have liked to cut it two weeks ago, but we’ve had too much rain. So this week it it. (Good thing I’m going to be out of town anyway, it’s “farm widow” season around here!)
My belly is starting to get in the way. I bumped it on the kitchen counter over the weekend when I was washing dishes, and then I walked into the bar stools. I guess I’m going to have to start paying closer attention to how much space I’m taking up…
My back is starting to hurt. I wonder if that’s related to #4?
The county fair is coming, just over a month away. That means that as soon as the hay is all put up and I’m not a farm widow anymore, I’ll be a fair widow. Last year, we had Hunter Hayes as our headline concert. The incomparable Uncle Dave introduced him!
I’m leaving town during part of the fair this year, too.
We don’t have our garden planted yet. Maybe between hay teddings this weekend…
Farmer Doc did build the frame for my raised herb garden. There’s nothing in it yet (not even dirt). Another project for between teddings…

19 Weeks Pregnant

2013-05-31T06:30:00.000-05:00

This week marks 19 weeks pregnant for me. To celebrate this milestone (can I call it a milestone? I’m almost half-way there!) I had an ultrasound to check out all of Baby Doc’s anatomy (fingers and toes, leg and arm bones, spine, all that good stuff) and find out the gender.

Before I tell you… any guesses?

Baby Doc cooperated pretty well for the ultrasound, showing us just about everything we needed to see. We even got a wave! (It’s also possible that there was a well-placed kick or two towards the ultrasound probe. Stubborn kid.)

Check out those cute little fingers and thumb waving over his chest!

Oh, right… it’s a boy! He was a little shy about showing us that part. Maybe that’s a good thing… Except we did manage to catch him… well… with a hand somewhere you wouldn’t expect a baby’s hand to be… (and I’m not talking about this picture of him sucking his thumb!)

I’m sure this will come as a shock to those of you who know me in person, but Baby Doc is already measuring big for his age. On the date of the ultrasound, average weight should have been 8 ounces, and he clocked in at 11 ounces. That can change really fast, especially this early, but I suspect it might be a trend… He also has longer than average legs, which I’m guessing means that I’m in for some pretty good kicks in the near future.

Oh, and my doctor gave me the green light to have some caffeine again! In moderation. But still. Happy Diet Coke at lunch for me!

I also made the jump into (mainly) maternity clothes this week. My regular clothes just don’t quite fit right anymore. I guess the good news is that the maternity clothes actually make me look pregnant, rather than like I just had too much to eat. I’m still trying to get used to that big belly panel on the pants…

I think we are pretty well decided on a name, but I’d love to hear some of your thoughts! What do you think we should name Baby Doc? (I was really pushing for Streptococcus or Rhodococcus – two types of bacteria that cause infections in horses – but I got voted down. I don’t understand why…)

Super Saucy Meatballs

2013-05-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for another Garfield-inspired recipe from Gooseberry Patch? Here come the Super Saucy Meatballs!

From Gooseberry Patch’s new cookbook, “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!”

I’m giving away a copy of this cookbook right now! I just extended the deadline, so you have until Friday night (May 31) at 12:00pm Central time to enter! I’ll announce the winner on Saturday June 1.

Start with 2 pounds of ground beef, 1-1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, 1 package onion soup mix, 8 ounces of sour cream, and 1 beaten egg. Mix it all together. Go ahead, use your hands, it’s easier!

(Just don’t do what I did… I mixed everything except the beef together, then added the beef. It was really hard to get the sour cream mixture evenly distributed through all the beef. So add it all to the bowl at once and get to mixing.)

Form the beef mixture into walnut-sized meatballs.

In another shallow tray, mix together 1/3 cup all purpose flour and 1 teaspoon paprika. (I love paprika. I used extra.)

Dredge the meatballs in the flour, rolling them to get them evenly coated.

In a large skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter, and brown the meatballs. You’ll probably need to work in batches.

We’re not going for fully cooked quite yet, just looking for a beautiful buttery brown on the outside. Drain the browned meatballs on some paper towels while you’re cooking the rest of them.

While you’re in a browning frenzy, mix up your sauce (don’t worry, it’s easy!). Combine 1 can of cream of chicken soup and 3/4 cup milk. That’s it!

When all the meatballs are done, return them to the (large) skillet and pour the sauce over the top. Very gently, toss the meatballs to coat them with the sauce. (If you’re not gentle, they’ll break apart. We had a minor incident…)

Cover the skillet and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. That’s it!

Be careful when you’re ready to serve them, they’re still a little fragile! (But oh, are they good!)

These meatballs went perfect with the Baked Mac & Cheese recipe from this cookbook… I’ll give you that one next week, so be sure to check back!

Here’s a printable recipe card for you:

Enjoy!

{Gooseberry Patch did give me one copy of “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!” to review and one copy to give away. Thoughts, opinions, and pictures are my own. Affiliate links were used in this post.}

What to do with Martin?

2013-05-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

Martin has been having a rough go of things lately. He’s usually quite personable and photogenic. He loves to hang out on the furniture, play with his squirrel toys, and help me in the office. Heck, he even almost went to college.

But Martin hasn’t been feeling very well lately.
It all started three weeks ago. To make a (very) long story (sort of) short… he had kidney stones. And one got stuck in his ureter (the tube that goes from the kidney to the bladder). So he and his kidneys had some major problems. He did manage to pass the stone, but not before his kidneys suffered some damage.

So he went to the Purdue Veterinary School Small Animal Hospital to get some more tests and figure out what we could do for him from here.

He got shaved for intravenous catheters and for an ultrasound exam. He got shaved in a few places.

(Don’t make fun of his belly fat… he’s sensitive! And he’s still sick!)

He was at Purdue for four days before we brought him home. In addition to his kidney stones and recent kidney damage, he had a few other problems. Turns out he’s had some minor chronic kidney disease (like Leo has) that we didn’t know about. The kidneys are pretty amazing things, and can compensate for a lot of damage before an animal (or a person) will show signs of kidney disease.

He also has mild heart disease. The cardiology department took a look at his heart and sent him home on medication for that.

So he came home with much less hair, on a special kidney diet (the same one we have Leo on), and a medication for his heart.

He had a few rough days when he first came home. He got dehydrated and his kidneys had a little trouble again. But we got him back on some supplemental fluids, and he perked back up again. He got up on my desk (with some help) and did a great job holding down my external hard drive while I got some work done.

Later that week, he decided that jumping on top of the desk was too hard, so he camped out underneath the desk instead. At least he was hanging out with me instead of hiding in a corner somewhere.

But this weekend we had a major setback again. His “mild” heart disease got much more severe, very fast. As far as we can tell, he had an episode of acute heart failure. This made his lungs fill up with fluid, and he had a very hard time breathing. We brought him back to our veterinary hospital (he wouldn’t have made the trip back to Purdue), gave him some medications to help get rid of the extra fluid in his lungs and gave him supplemental oxygen to breathe. He did much better, but still needed the extra oxygen to stay comfortable.

So we rigged up this temporary oxygen cage for him. He’s in the back of this cage that’s covered with plastic wrap (yes, and duct tape). We can pump oxygen into the cage so he has an easier time breathing, and he has plenty of room to move around, use the litter box, and get some food and water (if he ever feels like eating).

Martin still has a long road ahead of him… assuming we can get him through this acute episode of heart problems, we still have his kidney disease to deal with and now a worsening heart problem. He’ll need a special diet and more medications…

We can manage the longer-term maintenance, but we are really worried that he won’t make it that far. As I write this (9:00pm on Sunday), he is comfortable, breathing much better, and tired. I’ll be up most of the night checking on him, just in case things get worse again. Hopefully he’ll be able to get some rest and feel better in the morning…

Keep your fingers crossed for our little Martin man!

Samsung Galaxy Camera

2013-05-24T18:33:00.001-05:00

I love my tech. Heck, the last time I traveled I took 2 smart phones, 1 camera, 1 smart camera, 2 tablets, and a laptop. It’s safe to say that I am a tech addict. And I just love trying new stuff when I can. Thanks to Verizon Wireless, I had the chance to check out Samsung’s new Galaxy Camera (that smart camera I mentioned), complete with a 4G connection!

This is pretty much the only camera I used the entire time I had it. With a 4G connection, the Android platform, and access to any Android app in the Play Store, I was hooked! In fact, all my Instagram pictures between March 23-May 2 were taken with this camera. (Yes, even the ones that used the PhotoGrid app!)

Size-wise, the Samsung Galaxy Camera is just perfect. It’s just about the same size as my Droid RAZR phone.

It’s a little bit thicker, but still fit in most of my pockets. It’s much smaller than my DSLR camera, which made it easier to pop in my purse for times when I didn’t want to carry my big camera bag.

(PS, these two photos were not taken with the Samsung Galaxy camera. Obviously. But the rest of the photos in this post were.)

The only photo editing I have done to these pictures was to resize them so they fit on the page. No contrast or color adjustment, no cropping, nothing.

I used this camera to capture the unforgettable day the calves broke out of the pasture.

I knew I had cooked another crockpot dish. But I couldn’t for the life of me find the photographs. I could have sworn I took photos! Well, I found them. Introducing Crockpot Chicken Parm, photos hiding on the Samsung camera. I used the “Food” setting, and loved the way they came out!

The “Landscape” mode really made the green grass pop. Here’s a photo taken in “Auto”…

And the same photo taken in “Landscape” mode. (Remember, no post-photography processing here, just the camera’s magic!)

This was the only camera I used when we went to Las Vegas in April. I loved the “Rich Tones” feature for photographs when we went to see the Hoover Dam. It was a pretty cloudy day, so I wasn’t sure how the photos would all come out. It’s so hard to capture the gradients in the red rock! Here’s a photo taken in “Auto” mode.

And the same photo taken in “Rich Tone” mode.

I let Farmer Doc take the camera when he went on a guys-only trip to see the St. Louis Museum of Transportation. For someone who doesn’t take very many pictures, he did a pretty good job with this camera!

Of course, there were plenty of cat photos. Most of them featuring Martin. (He’s so photogenic, how can I resist?)

And the “Sunset” mode was wonderful. It let me capture some absolutely fantastic sunsets!

Can you spot the farmer working past dark? It is #Plant13, after all!

Can you tell I’m a fan of the Samsung Galaxy Camera? It takes much better pictures than my phone. And the 4G connection made sharing photos so easy… on email, Instagram, Facebook, or whatever your social media of choice. And to get the photos off the camera onto my computer? Just transfer them to Dropbox! No muss, no cables, no fuss!

I cried a little when I had to send it back.

{Big thanks to Verizon Wireless who gave me this camera with a data connection to test for 4+ weeks. All thoughts, opinions, and photographs are my own.}

Strawberry French Toast

2013-05-22T10:10:00.001-05:00

We made this Strawberry French Toast over the weekend. With fresh strawberries all over the grocery stores now, this makes a great springtime breakfast!

The recipe for Strawberry French Toast is from Gooseberry Patch’s brand-new cookbook, “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!” This cookbook is not available quite yet, but you can enter to win a copy (courtesy of Gooseberry Patch), or you can preorder here.

Start with 1/2-3/4 of a loaf of French bread, and slice it into 1-inch thick slices. I do this the night before, and leave it sitting on the counter overnight. Or stash it inside your microwave or your oven if you're afraid that the dog or cat will jump on the counter to steal your bread (it happens...). Yes, the bread gets a little dry, but that helps it soak up the egg mixture that much better, and makes for amazing French toast the next morning!

When you’re ready to start cooking, beat together 3 eggs, 3/4 cup half-and-half, and 1 tablespoon strawberry jam.

Pour that mixture into a shallow dish (I use one of my Pampered Chef coating trays). Dip the bread, both sides, into the egg mixture. (Try to get some of that strawberry jam to stick to the bread!)

In a large skillet, melt 2-3 tablespoons butter. Then start cooking up your French toast!

Cook on both sides, until the bread is golden brown and delicious all over.

While you’re manning the skillet, it’s easy to whip up some strawberry butter for a fun French toast topping. With an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup softened butter and 1/3 cup strawberry jam on low speed until well mixed.

It turns this beautiful shade of pink, and should be nice and smooth.

Serve the French toast warm, with the strawberry butter at room temperature (it will melt really fast on your warm French toast!). Top with fresh sliced strawberries, and add some powdered sugar or a little maple syrup if you want a little more sweetness to your morning.

A printable recipe card for you…

Enjoy!

{Gooseberry Patch did provide me with one copy of this cookbook to review and one to giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links were used in this post.}

Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway

2013-05-19T18:26:00.001-05:00

Oh yes, here it is! Before you can get it from the stores, I have a copy to give away to one lucky reader! Introducing Gooseberry Patch’s newest cookbook, “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!”

We are definitely Garfield-lovers around here, and we have an appreciation for his love of… fine dining. Okay, so he’s not quite a 5-star restaurant connoisseur, but he knows what he likes, and this cookbook does it so very well!

There’s a chapter dedicated to breakfasts, with yummy treats like this Strawberry French Toast, the Lazy Cat Pancake, and the Sunny-Side Up Breakfast Egg Pizza.

Need an appetizer? Try these Hot & Sticky Buffalo Wings (recipe coming soon) with Cool & Creamy Green Onion Dip. I’ll admit, the wings were too spicy for me, but Farmer Doc thought they were great!

There are two (count ‘em, two!) whole chapters of dinners! The first chapter, “Lotsa Lasagna, Pasta & Pizza” has treats like this Bow-Tie Lasagna, Cheesy Lasagna Rolls, and Ham & Mushroom Tortellini.

I made mine without the mushrooms and now I call it Tortellini with Ham and Peas. (Did I mention there are no less than eight pizza recipes?)

Dinner chapter #2 is “It’s Dinner Time… Now!” This features tasty treats like these Super Saucy Meatballs…

… along with Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Yummy Chicken Quesadillas, BBQ Pork Ribs, and this Best Baked Macaroni & Cheese. By the way, this mac & cheese goes wonderfully with those saucy meatballs!

And because Garfield isn’t done until he’s had dessert, there’s a whole chapter for that, too! I started with these Peppermint Snow Ball Cookies (recipe coming soon) and was definitely not disappointed.

What kind of a cookbook written by a cat would leave out our four-legged family members? Don’t worry, there’s a recipe for Homemade Cat Treats.

And, just in case you forgot about Garfield’s puppy friend Odie, there’s also a recipe for Homemade Dog Biscuits (coming soon). These were definitely Sadie-approved!

Did I mention that there is tons of Garfield artwork sprinkled throughout this cookbook? Yep, there he is!

Are you a Garfield lover? A Gooseberry Patch lover? Then this cookbook is for you! Ready to enter? All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favorite Gooseberry Patch recipe!

The giveaway is closed! Congratulations to NMGypsyGirl, who won the "Garfield... Recipes with Cattitude!" cookbook!

If you’re really anxious about winning, you can pre-order a copy of “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude” from Amazon now! It won’t ship until the official release date, but you can get a head start!

{Gooseberry Patch provided me with a copy of this cookbook to review and one to give away. And affiliate links were used in this post.}

Tortellini with Ham and Peas

2013-05-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

I’ve got another recipe for you from the not-quite-released-yet new cookbook from Gooseberry Patch!

“Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!” is available for pre-order, and will ship in June. Until then, I’ve got a copy to review! (And I’ll be giving away a copy starting this weekend, so be sure to come back to enter to win!) I’m having a blast with this cookbook, and I can’t wait to share more recipes with you!

Tortellini with ham and peas… so easy and so quick! Start with a 9-ounce package of refrigerated tortellini. Boil it according to the package directions.

While that’s cooking, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet, and add one chopped bell pepper. (I chose green. You can use red or yellow if you want. They are all yummy!) Cook the veggies until they are tender, just a few minutes.

P.S. – The original recipe also calls for sliced mushrooms in this step. I don’t like mushrooms, so I didn’t use them. Your choice.

In a small bowl, mix up 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 4 teaspoons cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon chicken boullion granules. When the veggies are tender, add this mixture right to your skillet.

Stir this sauce a bunch, and cook it until it boils and starts to thicken. It should look like this when it is ready…

Now stir in 3/4 cup frozen peas (or another veggie if you prefer). Fresh works, too.

And about a cup of chopped, cooked ham.

Then the cooked (and drained) tortellini.

Mix it all up, and you’ve got a one-pot (okay, it’s really two pots) dinner!

Here is the printable recipe card for you.

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to check back this weekend to enter for a chance to win a copy of “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude!” from Gooseberry Patch before you can buy it!

{Thanks to Gooseberry Patch for giving me a copy of this cookbook to review and one to give away. And I used affiliate links in this post. Gotta have some way to feed my Gooseberry Patch obsession!}

Bow Tie Lasagna

2013-05-07T06:30:00.000-05:00

Okay. I promised one more crockpot recipe before I moved on from “Slow Cooking All Year ‘Round.” And I cooked another one. But I can’t find the pictures. Anywhere. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if I even took the pictures. Sorry to say that you are missing out on Crockpot Chicken Parm! (You’ll just have to buy the cookbook to get the recipe for that one.)

So I am switching gears to another brandy-new Gooseberry Patch cookbook! This one is “Garfield – Recipes with Cattitude!” And guess what! It’s so new that it’s not even available yet! I’ll be giving you a few sneak peaks, and I’ll be giving away a copy of this cookbook next week, so be sure to check back!

In keeping with the Italian theme of my missing chicken parm photos, I’m starting off my Garfield experience with a “cheaters” lasagna – using bow tie pasta instead of lasagna noodles!

Oh yes, here’s the new cookbook! I’ve been devouring the pages, and have yet to find something I’m not excited to try! (Garfield does have good taste in food!)

Start off with a chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic. Saute them up in some olive oil.

Thaw one pound of cooked ground beef out of your freezer and toss it in to heat it back up. (No cooked frozen ground beef? Then toss the beef, or your meat of choice, in with the onions and garlic at the beginning. Get it good and browned.)

When the meat is browned and the onion is cooked, add one 15-ounce jar of pizza sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add one 8-ounce container of ricotta cheese. (Actually, the recipe called for cottage cheese. But I’m not a big fan of cottage cheese. So I use ricotta instead.)

When the cheese is all melted and incorporated into the sauce, add a half-package of cooked bow tie pasta.

Mix it all up, and spread it in a 9x9 baking dish. Top with plenty of mozzarella cheese. (In hindsight, I went a little overboard with the cheese.)

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until it’s all hot and bubbly and the cheese is just a little browned on the top.

Serve with some parmesan bread sticks (check back next week for the recipe for those!) and a salad. Please. I didn’t have a salad, and I really wished I had thought that far ahead. Ah well. Veggies tomorrow!

Here’s a printable recipe card for you:

Enjoy!

{Thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with a copy of “Garfield… Recipes with Cattitude! to review and a copy to give away! Thoughts and opinions are my own. Oh, and affiliate links were used in this post.}

Pork Chops with Tomato Rice

2013-04-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

I’m almost done with the crockpot recipes. I promise. I have one more to share with you next week, and then I’m moving on. But for now… pork chops with tomato rice!

From this ahh-mazing cookbook from Gooseberry Patch – “Slow Cooking All Year ‘Round.”

Line your crockpot for easy clean up. Then mix together a large can of tomato sauce and a can of stewed tomatoes (include the juice from the stewed tomatoes).

Add in 1-1/2 cup uncooked rice. (I recommend using either converted rice or brown rice. I used white rice and it ended up a bit mushy.)

Top it off with 1-3/4 cups water.

Sprinkle 4 pork chops with salt and pepper and add them to the crockpot.

Press the pork chops down so they are covered in the tomatoey-goodness. (If you need a little more liquid, add more water.)

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If the top starts to dry out a little, add more water during cooking.

A printable recipe for you…

Enjoy!

{Affiliate links were used in this post.}

Scamp & Scoundrel

2013-04-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

This was by far my favorite find when we were in Las Vegas earlier this month. Scamp & Scoundrel… a fun new jewelry store!

Farmer Doc’s favorite part was the $3 blackjack tables at the Hooter’s casino. But I’m sure I spent less money at the jewelry store than he ~~lost~~ spent at the casino!
I first headed over to Scamp & Scoundrel at the Miracle Mile Shops because they were having a raffle… only for women attending the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Conference! Who am I to pass up the opportunity for some free jewelry?

And it’s a good thing I went… check out what I won!

I couldn’t leave with that big prize and not buy something, so I also got this funky cocktail ring.

And I did plenty of browsing while I was there… In fact, I dragged Farmer Doc back the morning before we left. So “he” could buy me some birthday presents. I picked out these cute earrings.

And this matching pendant. Oh yes, that’s fun!

I will say, I’m a little bummed that Scamp & Scoundrel only has stores in New Jersey and Las Vegas. And it looks like you can’t buy their jewelry online. But they’re so new, I’m hoping that will change!

Anyway, this jewelry is worth a road trip!

In the meantime, be sure to check out their website and to find them on Facebook… I’m keeping my fingers crossed that online sales are in their future… (Though Farmer Doc is definitely not!)

{This was not a sponsored post. Scamp & Scoundrel doesn’t know who I am. But I love their stuff.}

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

2013-04-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

Seriously. Farmer Doc is starting to get tired of my crockpot cooking. But I love it! Especially on those days when I just don’t have the energy to stand in the kitchen to make dinner… that crockpot sure comes in handy!

Because I just can’t get enough… another recipe from “Slow Cooking All Year ‘Round” by Gooseberry Patch. You know you love it, too!

Whisk up one can of condensed cream of chicken soup with 1 cup of milk.

Pour enough soup in the bottom of the crockpot to just cover the bottom.

Top with 4-6 chicken breasts. Mine were on the big side (and I never get to say that!), so I just used 3. And yes, these are frozen. Just throw them right in there!

Layer a few slices of ham over the chicken.

And a few slices of Swiss cheese over the ham.

Top with the rest of the soup. (I used a little too much soup in the bottom, and didn’t have quite as much as I would have liked to cover the top. When in doubt, go sparingly on your first layer!)

Cover, and cook on low for 4-6 hours (or on high for 2-3 hours). It comes out looking all golden brown and delicious like it was right out of the oven!

Serve with a veggie… cause everyone needs to eat their veggies. This also would have been good with some brown rice out of the freezer… with that sauce drizzled all over the rice… yum!

A printable recipe card for you:

Enjoy!

{Affiliate links were used in this post. Mama needs to buy some baby stuff soon!}

Vegas Vacation

2013-04-15T09:36:00.001-05:00

Don’t get too many ideas… we were mostly out there on a business trip! I headed out to Las Vegas earlier this month for the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Conference. And to prove that it was business, I even sat in on a panel on using social media! So there!

But it wasn’t all business… Farmer Doc came with me (although he skipped out on most of the conference) and we had plenty of time to do some ~~gambling~~ sight-seeing.

Okay. We gambled, too.

We stayed in the Paris hotel. It is beautiful! The inside is decorated to look like you’re outside in the streets of Paris… It was just stunning!

Of course, we hit some of the other casinos, too. (There’s so many! How do you know which to pick? So we hit them all…) This is the big fountain in Caesar’s Palace.

Of course, we had to hit the M&M store! Farmer Doc never lets me get personalized M&Ms… He says they already have my initials on them. (My maiden name started with an “M”, too. So no personalized candies for our wedding. Boo.)

We tried to hit the Coca Cola store, but we got there sort of late and they were closed. Boo again.
We did see the pirate show at Treasure Island casino. It was… interesting… it was more like a burlesque show on pirate ships… but the big pirate ship was pretty neat.

I mean, seriously. There was a big bull skull on the front of the ship! How cool is that!

And there were some very fun water effects and pyrotechnics that happened when they sunk that ship… So overall A for effects, D for family-friendly.

On our last full day in Vegas we took a tour of the Hoover Dam. We got to go down inside the dam (yikes!) and see the power generating section. It is huge! And this was only half of it… there’s another section that looks just like this on the other side!

From the outside, the scenery is pretty spectacular.

I had a blast playing with my Verizon Wireless Samsung Galaxy Camera to get some neat panoramic shots like this one…

I used some of the built-in processing features to really bring out the colors in the rocks on this cloudy day. (Seriously – all edits automatically on the camera!)

Overall, a good trip to Vegas. I learned some things at the conference and met some great new people. I got some cool new jewelry (check back next week for more info on that), lost some money, did some fun tourist-y things, and overall had a great time. What more do you need out of a vacation?

{Thanks to Verizon Wireless for the use of the Samsung Galaxy Camera. All thought, opinions, and photographs are my own.}

My Year 2 Change just got bigger!

2013-04-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

I started off this year with a big Year 2 Change challenge from my friend Cris. She challenged everyone to think about what we really needed to change in our lives. For me, it was pretty simple to figure that out. My challenge was to become a morning person!

I started off pretty well, and was proud of myself at the one-month mark. I had gone down to one snooze hit in the mornings, and had made 10 days in a row and was feeling pretty good.

Then I realized I was absolutely exhausted in the afternoons! I mean seriously beat-down tired. I would head to the recliner, cozy up with a big blanket, and nap. For hours.

Seriously? What was the deal?

Turns out, there were two (related) deals. The first inkling I had of one deal was on Superbowl Sunday. I was watching the Budweiser commercial – you know the one with the Clydesdale horse who was raised from a foal by the same guy, gets sold to be a Bud Clydesdale, and then goes running down the city street straight into his owner’s arms?

Yeah. I started to cry.

What the heck? I love animals (and horses) as much as the next girl, but this was a little silly. We had just gotten home after being gone for 6 days, so I chalked it up to being over-tired from the travel and meetings.

But I wondered….

And a week and a half later, I had my answer.

Yep. Pregnant! Surprise! (And no one was more surprised than my parents!)

So… the first deal is that I’m pregnant. Hello, exhaustion!

The second deal is that my thyroid levels have gone low again. Partly because of the pregnancy. Thyroid hormones can be a tricky thing to manage in the first place, but then throw a baby in the mix (along with all the hormone and weight fluctuations that come along with that), and things get even more challenging. It’s manageable, but it means keeping close tabs on my levels, and adjusting my dose as we need to.

And the funniest part? This comes almost exactly a year after I wrote about my completely overwhelming experience at a Babies ‘R Us store… Guess I’m going to have to get used to that!
To be honest, with all this craziness, I put the alarm clock Year 2 Change on hold, and started focusing on my baby Year 2 Change. Sleeping in (a little), napping in the afternoons when I needed to, and trying to get plenty of rest otherwise.

As I head into my second trimester, things are starting to look up. I’ve had my thyroid dose adjusted twice already. I’m starting to feel a little less tired and a little more like a real person. I still have that 6:00am lecture coming up in June, so I am going to have to get back on the alarm clock bandwagon. But I know I can do it.

We've already made some big changes around here... I've given up caffeine (gasp!). We've picked which room will be the baby's - the treadmill needs to find another home, and so does John's office. (Don't worry, we barely used either of them.) And I'm scheduling lots more time for doctor's appointments. Turns out my OB and my endocrinologist both want to see me a lot more over the next 6 months. (I wonder why?)

Who knew that making a person was this exhausting? I have a feeling this is just the beginning…

So... coming in October 2013... a little baby alarm clock! (Although if family history holds true, this one won't be so little!)

Mystic Aquarium

2013-04-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Connecticut for a few days with Farmer Doc. It was mainly a work trip, as I was speaking at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association’s annual meeting about equine respiratory disease.

But we stayed for an extra day and made it a for-fun trip, too! One of the great things about heading back to the East Coast (my old stomping grounds) is that (if I can make the extra time to stay) I can always hook up with an old friend or two. This time, I got together with my best friend, Dani. We hadn’t seen each other in a year, and we hadn’t met each other’s husbands before! So it was a chance for the girls to catch up, to meet the boys, for the boys to meet, and for all of us to hang out with their adorable two-year-old.

So what did two young couples do with a two-year-old in tow in Connecticut? We went to the Mystic Aquarium!

The first thing you see is the outdoor enclosure with the beluga whales. (We taught little cutie-pie a new word, and I think “beluga” was her favorite word by the end of the day!)

After we spent quite a bit of time hanging out with the whales, and listening to the staff teach us about their behavior, we headed inside to check out some of the other fish.

There were some spectacular jellyfish.

Some very hungry looking eels.

And some angry-looking salt water fish. (Don’t worry, they didn’t all look angry.)

We got to pet the sharks, and the sting rays.

My favorite part was the penguins. We got there right at feeding time, so most of them were pretty distracted.

See that guy in the jacket? He molted (lost his feathers) early, and hasn’t grown his outer feathers back yet. The aquarium staff think that he will grow his feathers back later this spring (when it’s normally time for them to molt).

But in the meantime, he needs some way to keep warm! Penguins need their feathers for insulation, so swimming in the cold water without them isn’t safe for this little guy. He has a specially designed wet suit to keep him warm so he can still hang out with his other penguin buddies.

We also got to see the harbor seal that was rescued by the aquarium last year. She had one of her rear flippers amputated because of some damage, and has been going through rehab since last summer. She was just recently “let out” into a larger tank to play where people could see her. She sure was as cute as a button!

And, of course, I had a great time catching up with Dani! We were so preoccupied with talking and sight seeing that we completely forgot to take pictures of the people until the very last part of the day… so excuse the looks of exhaustion – you’re looking at two weary travelers here!

Ah… it’s almost like old times in college… except now there are husbands and kids. Hmm… maybe it’s not quite like college… But always a great time!

Jail Break!

2013-04-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you probably saw that we had an… incident… on Saturday.

These calves are supposed to be behind a fence in the pasture, not in my (sad) flower beds!

Yep, they made a break for it.

They even tried to get our Husky involved. But she wasn’t having it. (I think all dogs really want is a nice porch to nap on.)

Oh, and it wasn’t just two calves that made a break for it on that beautiful Saturday afternoon. It was five of the seven. Five.

I don’t think this guy even noticed what was going on. He was enjoying his nap in the hay.

There was one other calf left inside the fence. She was pretty mad… she raced around the pasture, but couldn’t quite figure out how to get out.

This big lady, on the other hand, thought Saturday would be a great day for a walk.

This is the only cow we have left that has not had her baby yet. (Translation – she’s the fattest cow on our farm right now.) And she still managed to get out!

Farmer Doc got home later that afternoon, and we were able to herd everybody back inside the fence without (much) drama. Phew!

But it did change our plans for the weekend! Farmer Doc loaded up our Gator with fencing supplies, and spent all afternoon Sunday and Monday fixing the fence.

He had to take down some broken wires and re-string some new wires.

Then he had to manually tighten all the wires so there is no slack in the lines.

Finally, the last step is to get the electricity working again. Our fence is supposed to be “hot” (electrified). It gives the cows a shock when they touch it, so they don’t try to eat the grass on the other side of the fence, or crawl through the wires. It’s similar to an invisible fence for dogs, except this one is not invisible. And don’t worry, they learn pretty quickly to stay away from the shocking fence!

Safe and sound, back at home!

All the photos in this post were taken with the Samsung Galaxy camera from Verizon Wireless. Thanks to VZW for letting me test-drive this camera!

Verizon Wireless Hotspot

2013-03-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

Home internet. So many choices, options, pay structures! Who knows where to even start? This Samsung Hotspot is a quick and easy fix for some super-fast data speed from Verizon Wireless. And the best part? It’s portable!

I had this Samsung Hotspot from Verizon Wireless to try at home. And in the car. And in hotels. And anywhere else I wanted to go. It’s perfectly pocket-sized, so it really can go anywhere you go! (Here is is next to my Droid RAZR for some size comparison.)

I’ve used a Verizon Wireless hotspot for our home internet for years. But I still had one of their original hotspots, and it only was able to access their 3G service. And when your 3G speeds look like this…

And your 4G speeds look like this…

It really is a no-brainer that it’s time to upgrade. Especially when you’re online all the time. Like I am. (Want to check your speeds? Download the free SpeedTest app!)

I fired up the new 4G-compatible Hotspot and we went to town! Here’s the wireless signal on the other side of the same room.

And the signal a couple of rooms down, and through a few walls. Can’t beat that! (Check out the free WiFi Analyzer app, too!)

(P.S. Notice the battery level in those screenshots? Yep, I still miss the RAZR MAXX… My favorite phone. Ever…)

This hotspot can connect to up to 5 wireless devices. We used it (among other things) to stream HD movies to our Smart TV. Great picture, great sound… no issues with pausing or skipping.
You can use this baby anywhere you can have a Verizon Wireless signal! Traveling outside a 4G coverage area? No worries – the hotspot will pick up 3G signal, too.

I love the Verizon Wireless hotspots. They are great for travel (who wants to pay $12+ a day for wireless access in an airport or hotel?) and for everyday use at home!

While this exact hotspot is not available any more, Verizon Wireless still offers plenty of options. And these newer hotspots have longer battery lives, and can connect up to ten devices!

{Thanks to Verizon Wireless for the use of this Samsung Hotspot. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

2013-03-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

Can you ever get tired of crockpot cooking? I sure haven’t yet! This chicken and dumplings is some serious spring time comfort food!

Of course, from my new favorite cookbook… “Slow Cooking All Year ‘Round” from Gooseberry Patch.

Start with one onion, chopped. Right into the crockpot it goes!

Toss in four boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into roughly bite-sized pieces.

Pour in 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup.

Top it off with 2 cups of chicken broth.

Give it a good stir, and that’s it for now! Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

About 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, get out your refrigerated biscuits. The recipe called for two 10-ounce tubes. I grabbed some smaller tubes of biscuit dough instead (they were cheaper). I used three 7.5-ounce tubes. (Three was too many!)

Cut or tear your biscuits into bite-sized pieces. I just used my handy dandy Pampered Chef kitchen shears.

My mistake was waiting until I had all the biscuits/dumplings in the crockpot before I stirred the pot. Do yourself a favor, and stir in a few at a time. These all stuck together, and it was tough to get them separated and mixed in. (And did I mention that I had too many dumplings by the end of this?)

Once you do get everything mixed in together, cover the crockpot back up, turn the heat up to high, and cook for about another 30 minutes. You want the dumplings to get cooked through, and be nice and fluffy.

Serve with a veggie. But not a starch. Plenty of carbs in those there dumplings!

Next time, I might add some celery to the crockpot… something to give the chicken and (many) dumplings a little color. And while I’m a huge fan of leftovers (especially from a crockpot dinner!) this dish did not reheat very well. It was great fresh out of the crockpot, but not so good for lunch the next day. Everything sort of stuck together, and it didn’t do so great in the microwave. It was better once I added a little more chicken broth, but this is definitely a one-night meal.

Still? Two thumbs up right out of the crockpot! I’ll definitely be making this again!

Here’s your printable recipe card:

Enjoy!

{This post contains affiliate links.}

Crockpot pumpkin chili

2013-03-06T06:30:00.000-06:00

It snowed this weekend. Still winter. Still chili time! This is a new favorite of mine… Pumpkin Chili!

From, you guessed it, “Slow Cooking All Year ‘Round” from Gooseberry Patch! cookbook!

Cook 1 pound of ground beef (or turkey, or pork) in a large skillet with one chopped onion and 3 cloves of garlic (minced). I had some cooked ground beef in my freezer, so I thawed that and popped it right into the crockpot.

Add the meat, onion, and garlic into a crockpot.

Add 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies with the juice.

Add two cans of black beans (drained and rinsed). I used dried black beans that had been soaked overnight.

The main ingredient – 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin.

Add 3 cups of chicken broth and the spices (chili powder, parsley, oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper if you want).

Stir it all together, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. (If you use dried beans instead of canned, you’ll need to cook on high or on low for 4-5 hours.)

Serve with your favorite chili toppers – Colby-Jack cheese, sour cream, and corn bread for us!

Worried about the pumpkin flavor? It’s really mild, and if you don’t tell people there’s pumpkin in this recipe, they’ll never know. But if you’re looking for it, you can tell. It will be your little dinner secret.

Next time? I’m totally adding nutmeg.

Here’s the printable recipe card:

Enjoy!

{Affiliate links were used in this post.}

Verizon Wireless Network Extender

2013-03-04T06:30:00.000-06:00

We’ve all been there. You pull up to a business, you’ve got great cell service, you’re in the middle of a phone call (or sending a super-important email or Facebook status update). You walk in the door, and bam! The signal immediately drops when you step inside.
Pain in the butt, right?

Now imagine how it is for the people who work there. All. Day. Long.
Sad to say, this is our veterinary clinic. The Verizon Wireless 4G signal outside is amazing! But when we did our renovation and new construction on the building, we put up metal siding and a metal roof. So no signal inside.

I have to admit, it’s sort of nice to not have to fight with an owner’s cell phone for attention when you’re trying to figure out what’s wrong with Floofy. But our cell phones are constantly searching for service all day long, which means the batteries run dead. Which is a big problem for our doctors who are on call at night. (Ever try to talk to a worried owner on a cell phone with a dying battery? Not fun.)

So we hooked up with the folks at Verizon Wireless to get one of these babies to try. This Network Extender sits in a window, and that little antenna grabs the Verizon Wireless signal. It hooks into our wireless internet router, and boosts the signal through the whole building!

(Chap Stick included for scale. It was the only thing I had in my pocket.)

I won’t pretend to know how it works. I don’t really have the foggiest idea. But it does boost cell signal (so we can now make and receive cell phone calls from our office) and Verizon’s 3G signal. I went from no service to 3-4 bars on a regular basis!

It’s really easy to install – all you need is access to a window, a power outlet, and your internet router. Plug it in, wait for all the lights to turn blue (anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour), and you’re in business!

There is a very short delay when you answer a call that is using the Network Extender. You’ll hear a little beep (the person on the other end doesn’t hear it) that means you’re using the Network Extender service, and then you can start talking. Other than that, you’ll never notice a difference in your service!

Except that now your battery lasts the whole day. And you can take emergency calls without having to find that missing car charger first!

Everybody loved this so much (and got a little spoiled), we had to buy one we got to keep before I could pack this one up and send it back!

{Thanks to Verizon Wireless for the use of this Network Extender. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}