Tail to nose

From tail to nose, Penny is all leg.

I think she would be more comfortable if she had a teddy bear.

Bedroom Overboard

As it turns out, I picked the perfect color for my bedroom. It's Frozen Pond from Behr's Premium Plus Ultra line of paints (paint and primer in one!).

The paint and primer in one saved time with painting the walls, but I'm far from finished in my room. While spackling nail holes in the wall, I just had to mess with some chipping plaster on the ceiling (natch.). Everything has spiraled dangerously out of control from there. Now, I'm scraping, sanding and painting the trim, caulking the windows, patching the ceiling and kicking myself for being so "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"-esque.

 This picture is simply proof the painting is done; the color is not really accurate at all.

Sheared

Fluffy is out. Slim and sheared is in.

This is Penny's new springtime look. Edgy, no?

Blue-green bedroom

I'm picking up paint tomorrow for my bedroom (Right now, it's speckled, remember?) and am currently agonizing over three particular shades of blue-green. I meant to spend tonight clearing out my room, but instead, I've been playing with paint colors online. Typical and dumb. Internet wins again.

The three contenders are all in the bottom row -- fourth from the right, second from the right and the first one on the right.

Pot O' Gold

For St. Patrick's Day, my work is holding a little bake-off. I hadn't planned on participating, but then I was struck with this idea while I was leaving Target last night. And I've been thinking (giddily) of nothing but little pots o' gold ever since.

I'll post the instructions later; I just turned my scotcheroos recipe inside out.

Bring it.

Watching Bread Rise

It really is quite cruel to put good-smelling things at dog-nose level. But, my bread dough wasn't rising and the Internets seemed to think it was because the temperature in my house was too cool. Blasting the dough with fresh-from-the-furnace hot air did the trick.

Oh, how Penny longed to investigate those smells!

Australia - Things We Ate

Last but not least (food could never be least, in my book), here's some of the stuff that kept us fueled while we were in Australia.

Also, as I've lamented to most of you by now, ordering regular coffee with cream was no easy task. Because, as I was schooled by some coffee shop fellas, "there's no such thing as regular coffee." There are such things, however, as long blacks, short blacks, flat whites, etc. This site breaks it down. 

Fish and chips with my friend the kookaburra.

Malaysian meat on a stick. 

Taiwanese dim sum. Those eager fingers are mine, natch. 

 

One glass each of Toohey's Extra Dry.

 

And Tim Tams! In the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess I didn't actually try the national cookie of Australia until I was back in the U.S.

Getting to know you

The P-dog would like to get to know you. She implores you to divulge one of your juiciest secrets and then rub her belly.

Ahhhh...In yo face!

Australia - Things we did

Proof that we did things while Down Under. Not shown here: we all came home with souvenir sunburns.

Hobnobbed with some locals.

Climbed a bridge we found laying around by the harbor.

Got up close and personal with the Great Barrier Reef.

Swung through the trees with the greatest of ease.