Watch out for Copperheads!

A couple of weeks ago Tyson got bit by a copperhead :(

My parents had taken Tyson and Vegas out for a walk around dusk and since it was hard to see, didn't see a baby copperhead in the middle of the road in their neighborhood. Tyson just walked right over it but since it was a baby it was scared and bit him on the toe. Babies also inject more venom than adults because they don't know how to control it. So after heading home and realizing that it was rapidly swelling they headed to the emergency vet and we met them there. 

They gave him an IV for pain meds and light sedation, kept an eye on it and ran some bloodwork. Basically they wanted to check that his blood was clotting properly and functioning normally, and luckily it was. Anti-venom is actually very expensive (like $600 a dose) and since they felt that he was dealing with it well (and it wasn't on his face or chest, close to the heart, easy access to the bloodstream) he didn't need it. So after a few hours there, we were sent home with some more pain meds as he needed and our sweet, loopy boy.

His foot was swollen halfway up his leg but by the next morning he didn't even know he was hurt! We were very lucky that he has healed well and only got bit on his toe. Apparently dogs are very resilient and can heal pretty well. 

 Swollen foot

 Comparison... can't see any bones in front one bc of the swelling!

my poor boy

I'm glad we went to the vet and now understand more about snake bites and what to do for them. Veterinary Specialty Hospital has been great to us over the years and were that night also. So watch out for Coppperheads... who knew one would just jump up and bite you in the road! 

Painted Mason Jar Succulents

While shopping for Mother's Day this year I found this cute idea on Etsy. 

Of course since it was $45 plus shipping, Trey and I decided to try to do it ourselves! Turns out it was really easy and for the price of that set of four, shipped, we managed to make 12! We looked on Pinterest to get ideas of how to do it and also found the website for the paint to be helpful.

What You Need:
Small succulent plants
Potting soil
Mason Jars
Foam paint brushes
A sheet of sandpaper
Newspaper to work on
Paint (we used the little jars of folk art paint from walmart for $2 each) In the future I might would get a "chalk" finish but this worked just fine!
Sealer paint (polycrylic or something similar)


What You Do:
Rinse and dry jars. 
Using a foam brush paint the jars (up and down along the sides, go in a circle around the top where the lid will go)
Let them dry for an hour (or whatever your paint directions say). 
Paint a second coat, let dry. 
Lightly sand with sandpaper to get a weathered look. 
Paint a light coat of sealer
Screw lid on without inner seal
Fill with potting soil and put the plant on the top

Wordless Wednesday: Fishing at Jordan Lake

Mother's Day Brunch

The Preston Woodall House, where we got married, has an annual Mother's Day brunch. I have seen it on facebook in the past but this year we decided to try it. We have always said it would be nice to go back to the venue for something like this and it worked out perfectly this year, and was a gorgeous day. 

 We told my mom and grandmas that we had brunch reservations and to be ready at a certain time, but didn't tell them where we were going! They were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived. 

It was a delicious buffet with everything you could possibly want to eat. We were stuffed to the brim and enjoyed each others company.

Baked Chicken Parmesean

I have been getting tired of the same old stuff for dinner so we've been perusing the internet for new ideas and came across this Baked Chicken Parm recipe on Skinny taste. It is super easy and really good. 

What You Need:
4 chicken breasts sliced in half or a package of thinly sliced chicken breasts
Breadcrumbs (about 3/4 cup)
Parmesean cheese (about 1/4 cup)
Olive Oil (1-2 tbsp)
Mozzarella Cheese (about 3/4 cup)
1 Jar Marinara Sauce
Cooking Spray


What You Do: 
Preheat the oven to 450
Spray baking sheet with cooking spray
Combine the breadcrumbs and parmesean cheese in a shallow bowl
Brush the olive oil on to the chicken, then dip in the breadcrumb mixture, place on baking sheet
Repeat with all chicken breasts
Lightly spray the top of chicken with oil spray
Bake for 20 minutes
Turn chicken over, cook for 5 more minutes
Add spoonful of marinara to the top of chicken, sprinkle top with cheese and put back in the oven until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes)

Serve over linguine or the pasta of your choice!