meet my kids.....

okay sooo I'm a day late but anything that has to do with animals i HAVE to participate in, so I'm doing it today! I'm linking up with the beautiful C-Mae over at Happiness Is....she has a lovely blog & it's always fun to read! soooo i know its tail wagging Tuesday & I'm not sure if that's just for dogs, but listen people I'm a dog person as well as a CAT person...so this will be a post of both my dogs & cats...i currently live with my amazing mom...were roomies, so i am going to include her animals as well since really they're mine too...we're just one big happy crazy family....i love it!

another fun thing about our animals & I'm sure you all can relate is we have a ton of different nicknames for them, some we have NO idea how they formed but they're silly......Also every single animal we have has been RESCUED...i do not believe in getting a pure breed because there are TOO many homeless animals out there who need love, please consider adopting!

Meet DOLCE - named after Dolce & Gabbana, she was my first very own pet, we have been through EVERYTHING together...she is more human than pet & rules ALL of the animals, more on dolce later...
Nicknames: deets, deets mageets, deeders, bitch, dd, pouch girl

Meet MAXX - named after the surfer dude Max on TMZ....i rescued him on 9/11/2011 - best.day.of.my.life. He is just a doll & we have a lot in common, like our laziness & willing to sleep allll day, & our LOVE of the mall...no joke he loves the mall...not to mention we have the same type of hair when i let his grow out...
Nicknames: maxxie, maxxie poo poos, maxxiepad, maxamillion, bean, old man rivers, old timer, bruiser 







Meet PUMPKIN - named because of her color & i got her during October....I got pumpkin a few years after I got Dolce...they weren't friends at first but now they're sisters & the best of friends....you don't mess with Pumpkin bc then you'll have to deal with the wrath of Dolce.....

Nicknames: pumps, pumpy, digs, diggys, shakey tail girl

Meet LUCY - She is my moms dog who we rescued a few years ago....originally we were going to name her Bella, but because she is SO silly like Lucy from I <3 Lucy we had to name her Lucy. She is the sweetest & happiest dog i have ever met, considering she had an AWFUL life before us....she brings joy to my life everyday
Nicknames: goose, stretchy legs girl, luce, mum mums, Elvis, laquisha

Meet SUMMER - named after Summer from the show The OC, also my moms cat, she is such a sweet soul & a flirt w my BF....also, she is the bigger creeper, wherever you look theres summer watching you...she is also such a cuddle bug....
Nicknames: summy, sum, sumsum, creeper, stocker girl, pa pa, chemo girl

Meet LOUIS - named after Louis Vuitton, he's actually my sisters cat but louis is kinda a wimp & doesn't deal with changes very well, & we want him happy so we have him...but its okay because we love louis & let me tell you he is a ladies man!  he originally dated Dolce, then went to Summer & then Pumpkin & now he goes between Pumpkin & Summer....Pumpkin is OBSESSED w Louis, she gets her heart broken every time its Summers turn on the rotation & Dolce hates it...she literally beats up Louis for being mean to pumpkin....
Nicknames: lou lou, bryan, soul, ladies man, big papa, fabio



and that's our kids! and in all seriousness i could have A LOT more..i love animals, just are better than humans....you don't know true love until you have owned an animal....i highly suggest adopting, it will be the best decision of your life...here are a few more pictures of the kids hanging out....

Superbowl Sunday this year - we're Raiders fans but i also am a big Tom Brady fan....Maxx is sporting his Official Raiders Jersey & Lucy is stylin in a pink & blue cheer leading outfit

The Chain Gang, which consists of Dolce, Pumpkin & Summer...Louis is not apart of any gang

don't you love Maxx's fohawk!?

Sisterly Love

Pre Maxx....everyone just hanging

We call Summer & Dolce the NEW BFFs...dolce did not always like Summer, however Summer is is obsessed with Dolce...eventually they became friends

love birds

everyone enjoying their Thanksgiving meal

oh ya maxx LOVES the beach too just like his momma

and I'll end with Dolce, since she was the first....i know that i have posted a few things about Dolce & how she is a very interesting cat...i will def be doing a blog on why she is so interesting but let me leave you with this....Dolce has her own Facebook page with over 100 friends...want to know why? stay tuned.....

And the winner is...........

enjoying a nice day in norcal

hellllooo lovers! I'm back from my mini vacay with the BF! we were suppose to go to Lake Tahoe, but because of bad weather & me not wanting to sit in traffic we decided to stay in our hometown for the weekend & I'm glad we did! it was a fantastic vacay, considering the fact that i hadn't been home in over 2 years....i will be blogging highlights from my trip later but right now i am SUPER excited to announce the winner of my 1st giveaway! Using Random.org I was able to let the computer do all the work. I posted below what the widget looks like. I had 22 entries, & sadly I can only pick one winner...

sooo the cool number generator gave me the number 12, & the 12th person who commented is.......

COURTNEY of From Here to Eternity!!!

yayayaya!! Congrats girlie!!! I'll be emailing you! Trust me I wish all of you could won, buttt its you're lucky day...since I know the women who does these beautiful headbands I will be having another giveaway with one of them again in the future.

ALSO i have decided that every 50 new people I get I will be doing another giveaway. I already have my next giveaway lined up for when I reach 200 followers, so spread the word!! Thank you again to EVERYONE who entered, it truly means everything to me!

keep calm & drink wine

Wahoo its time for another Out & About w/ Ken & you are going to loveee this post….take it away Kenny!

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So one thing that I LA LA LOVE almost as much as travelling is wine! I was lucky enough last year to do both and take a trip up to wine country... beautiful Napa. Wine tasting up there is fabulous and you can learn so much! If you've never been wine tasting before, I highly suggest you go! I honestly believe that wine is good for the soul and would really drink a glass a night if I could... but I hate drinking cheap wine and getting headaches, so that routine would get pretty expensive.

Wine is a great addition to any meal (other than breakfast, of course), but many people don't know how to pair it with the right foods. Wine should bring out the flavors in your meals. For some it's a preference in taste, but if you haven't tried these pairings yet, give it a shot and see how delish your foods can be!!

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1. The oldest rule in the book is red wine with meats and white with fish. But you can also pair a light red wine, such as a Pinot Noir or even a Merlot with most fish.

2. Pair light-bodied wines with lighter meals and heavier wines with more flavorful dishes. If you drink a heavier wine with a lighter meal, it's going to overpower your food. In the same, a light wine will taste like water next to a heavy meal. Nobody wants a good meal or a good wine to go un-enjoyed!

3. Wine reacts to the tastes of food. So pair your food with a wine that will give the meal a balance.

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Sweet foods (like teriyaki or honey-glazes) will make your wine taste dry. So try a wine that is off-dry and has a little bit of sweet flavor to it, like a Chenin Blanc, White Zinfandel, or Riesling.

High-acidic foods (like soy sauce, balsamic vinaigrette, or lemon based) go best with wines that have a little bit more acidity to them, like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Noir.

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Bitter foods (like bitter greens, olives, and even charbroiled meat) go well with fruity, full flavored wines. Try Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot with these. Grilled steak and lamb chops calm down the bittery wines, so you can pair these with red Zinfandels, and Syrah wines.

Desserts, I feel, depend most on your personal tastes. But I LOVE creamy milk chocolate with a good Cabernet. YUMMM! A good tip for dessert wines is that they should be at least as sweet as the dessert you are eating. Sparkling wines also go great with many desserts.

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Wine will taste one way when you drink it alone, but once you pair it with a good food, it's like a whole different wine! Give these tips a try and let me know what you think! ENJOY :) - Ken