Wes & Erica go to Linde Oktoberfest Tulsa

This blog is quickly changing from DIY craft instructions into my own personal travel journal (complete with fun photos! 😀)  I used to journal excessively in my teens and early twenties. I guess that part of me is being revived. LOL Again, its not Monday but how about a little Wednesday travel blog?

Wes and I have been going to the Oktoberfest celebration in Choctaw, OK for a few years now. Earlier this year, I caught wind of the Linde Oktoberfest in Tulsa, OK. 🍺 Its supposed to be one of the best in the nation. The festival "celebrates authentic Bavarian culture and represents an incredible setting patterned after the Munich Oktoberfest in Bavaria, Germany." Their website also stated that the festival "hosts international German bands, Bavarian delicacies, authentic arts & crafts and competitions." I went for the food, beer and mainly, the Dachshund Dash (aka adorable wienie dog races and Halloween costume contest!) A few days before we went, I told a coworker about our plans and she convinced her boyfriend to go so they met us there.

Audrey, Ryan, me and Wes

The festival lasted several days but I chose to go on Sunday because that wast the day of the Dachshund Dash. 🐕 The activities started with a Halloween costume contest and parade. The winner was a pup dressed in lederhosen and suspenders. Its owners were also dressed in traditional German attire. My favorite was a group of wienie dogs dressed as a flock of sheep. After the winners were announced, the races started. The contestants were divided into heats and each dog was placed into a wooden box (the starting gate). The gate was opened and the dogs busted out! A few of the dogs knew to run toward their owners at the finish line but the majority of them were just confused and ran in circles. It was so stinkin' adorable!! We saw some owners with squeaky toys and treats at the finish line to lure their pup toward them faster. There were over thirty heats so we didn't stay for them all. It was announced that Mustang Sally won (she was also the winner in last year's competition).

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated toward exploring the beer and food. There were tons of (SO SO MANY!) beer tents and food vendors. I wish I had come hungrier! The only downside was that items could only be purchased with tickets. Each ticket was $1 and had to be bought in advance at one of the concession stands. We spent the majority of our time walking around trying to add up how much food and drink we wanted so we could buy the proper amount of tickets. We settled on Polish platter for Wes (rice, sauerkraut and pierogis) with beers - a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter and a Benediktiner Oktoberfest (which I really liked and should have gotten one for myself) and a German platter for me (bratwurst, sauerkraut and potato salad) and Bavarian cheesecake with beers - a 401K and a Kona Hanalei Island IPA. The 401K was really light and citrus flavored, yum! The other one was supposed to taste like tropical fruits but I didn't think it did all too much, so not yum. We listened to some polka music while we ate; no one wanted to participate in the chicken dance with me. 😔 Before heading out, we stopped by the arts & crafts tents. There were a couple of unique vendors but most of them were either direct sales or cheap toys/clothes that are also sold at state fairs. I was a little disappointed but that could be because I'm a craft show snob. LOL All in all, it was a good day out with friends. The Linde Oktoberfest Tulsa lived up to all its hype and we had a wonderful afternoon.

Athena & Jameson's Puppy Pizza Party

My friend, Alan, and his girlfriend adopted a new puppy a few months ago. Little precious pup, Jameson. Alan, Jameson, Athena and I went out to eat on the patio at Mamasitas one night and the dogs got along great. They were being a little naughty, though...trying to jump on the waitress, barking at little kids and trying to get food off the table. We got to talking and decided that the next time the dogs have a play date, we should do it at Alan's house (to save us the embarrassment LOL). So tonight after I finish this blog, Athena and I are walking over to Alan's for dinner. What's more fun than a pizza party? A pizza party with puppies!!

I've baked homemade dog biscuits before but I've never done any novelty treats. I'm using an old recipe for dog treats and adding "toppings" to turn them into pizza. I'll be making one savory pizza and one dessert pizza. Here goes:

PIZZA PUPPY TREAT RECIPE-
Ingredients needed: 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk (we drink 2% lactose free milk), 1/2 cup chicken broth.

• For the savory pizza, 1 can pumpkin puree & some meaty dog treats (I'm using Pupperoni). 
• For the dessert pizza, 1 can pumpkin puree & 1 banana

1. Mix together egg, milk & chicken broth.

2. Put the flour in a large bowl and form a well in the center.

3. Pour the egg mixture into the well in the center of the flour.

4. Stir together the wet & dry ingredients. Make sure it is mixed well.

5. Knead the dough into a ball. (You may need to sprinkle some flour on your hands.)

6. Dust flour on a flat surface and roll out the dough to about 1/3 inch thickness.

7. Using a round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles for the "pizza crust." I don't own a round cookie cutter, so I just used a cup.

8. I guess somewhere in between steps 5 and 7 we should have pre-heated our oven. Oops, my bad. Anyway, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pizza crusts onto a non-stick surface (wax paper on a baking sheet works great) and bake for 20 minutes.

9. Let the crusts cool. Then time for toppings! Spread pumpkin puree onto each pizza crust.

10. Top with meaty dog treats for savory pizza or sliced bananas for dessert pizza. Then bring to pizza party and watch the puppies enjoy their treat!

Time to bring these fun treats to Alan's. I'll be taking lots of pictures of Athena & Jameson tonight and posting to my Instagram. Follow me @ragsreborngifts.

This blog will be mostly pictures of Erica's new puppy.

I've had a rough few weeks so I think it's time for a "fluff piece." And what better to lighten the mood than a puppy? Here is the story of me and Wes' new love...lil baby Athena pup. <3

Around some time in June, I decided I wanted a second dog. Sadie is great but two dogs are better than one. I talked Wes into it and we started our search. We wanted a puppy (under one year old), female, 30lb maximum once full grown and from the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter. That's where I got Kensington from and I feel like that's the best place to truly rescue an animal.
       We went to a few adoption fairs--saw one dog I was going to get but I didn't have cash (who doesn't use a Square reader nowadays?) & then saw another at a second event but there was some weird stuff going on with the volunteers that prevented us from getting it,
              visited the pound (none met our qualifications),
                           and almost got a dog from a coworker of mine (which, I know isn't the pound but that's where the dog could have gone if no one had adopted it). Nothing worked out. The Universe was against us and it was like infertility all over again but I wanted a puppy instead of a baby.

A coworker of mine's cousin works at the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter and gave us updates as soon as puppies became available. I also checked their website weekly to see if any dogs that were brought in met our qualifications. It took us two months but we finally got one. And she was worth waiting for... meet Athena! She is a two-month-old Border Collie Australian Shepherd mix, which just happen to be Wes' two favorite breeds of dog.

Athena Zucchini Kirtley adopted August 20th, 2015

She has had a whirlwind of a life thus far...

I adopted her on my lunch break and dropped her off with Alan and his dog, Sonja. (There are two incredibly cute videos of Athena playing with her, they're on my Facebook.) Sonja was her baby sitter for the day and then Wes picked her up after work to go on her very first shopping trip.

She got a pretty purple collar and some yummy puppy food. 

After shopping, Athena got to meet big sister, Sadie! Sadie still doesn't particularly like cuddling together but she shares her bed and toys with Athena and they love to run around and play. Sometimes playing entirely too rough, though *rolls eyes*.

Sadie's first encounter with her new baby sister.

That was just the first night home. The next couple of days would hold more adventures. She had her initial vet visit on Friday and then my mom's birthday party on Saturday. Athena was one happy little girl.

Car ride home from our very first vet visit.

Then like all good things, it all came to an end. Athena had pretty severe pneumonia. She didn't show any signs of it and the vet didn't catch it during our visit. Sunday morning, Athena was having a fitful sleep. She was coughing and hacking, her little nose was running like a faucet and she refused to move. Wes decided it was time to go to the emergency vet. 

At the ER with pneumonia symptoms. 

She was immediately put on fluids and her chest scans didn't look too great. She definitely had pneumonia and possibly distemper (we later found out that test was negative). She stayed at the emergency vet for the next three days while slowly improving. The following Tuesday, we picked her up, paid our ridiculously large bill and were sent home with medicine. She was still a little sickly but, luckily, she is a fighter and she's happier & healthier than ever now. 

She's learned how to both break down and crawl over the baby gate.

Athena is one smart cookie. She knows where her food and treats are located, she's played with all her toys and has learned how to hoist herself onto the couch (which until that point was Sadie's only safe hiding spot.) She hasn't completely mastered potty training or walking on a leash, yet, but she is a pro at busting out of the baby gated bedroom.  LOL She can hold it while she's in her kennel for a few hours. Her favorite pastime is pestering Sadie. It's good that Sadie has a playmate now because she seems younger and happier, too. Athena is very curious and always mimics Sadie and tries to get into whatever Wes & I are doing, especially if our activity involves food. Oh the joys of owning a puppy.

She also loves climbing on things...like Wes. LOL She is a handful but also incredibly adorable. The perfect puppy. She'd probably win awards for being the best puppy ever if we entered her into a contest. Wes intends to teach her tricks when she's older so we might look into agility training and competitions. But that's much much later. Right now she's just enjoying life as a mischievous little brat.

So there it is- the newest member of the family. Sorry this wasn't a recipe or craft tutorial but who doesn't like pictures of puppies? Am I right? My day job is slowly killing me and I have no energy to do anything after work so I have no creativity. Blogging is hard. Crafting is hard. Please buy pillows from RagsReborn so I can take my soul back from Delta Dental. Hahahaha... okay, I'm only half joking. Maybe. But...switching to a serious note... my upcoming schedule of shows:

November 7th- Triumph Family Worship's Craft Fair

November 14th- PC West Fest

December 12- The Crown Center's Handmade Fair

I will be writing about, posting pictures and advertising each of these shows on my social media sites so stay tuned! The rest of the year should prove a busy time for RagsReborn :D

Good night from the pups and have a wonderful rest of your week!!