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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Absolutely Beautiful Things

So, as you know, I have had a rough couple of weeks. Through all of the miracles that have come out of our tragedies, I have come to think of all the other miracles the world has to offer us. It is incredibly inspiring to think of all the beautiful things around us, if we just stop and take a look!

Bora Bora - one of the most beautiful islands in the world

The ever so beautiful Charles Bridge in Prague. To think it was all hand made!

Mountains, one of the most powerful things in the world...not created by human.

Goodness of good food. Made by Earth.

Babies. You don't know how good they are until you have one!

Families are like a strong foundation. Without them, you do not have a base.

Love is beautiful and makes the world go round!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Danielle's Baked Kale Chips

If you haven't tried these, you are missing out! It is impossible to pack more goodness, nutrients, crunch and flavour into every bite. Don't be afraid of the fact that they are a) green b) healthy and c) vegetable - you would not know this unless I told you (well, besides the green part, can't do much about that!)

Danielle's Baked Kale Chips

Kale (leafs only, seperated from spine)

Olive oil

Salt

Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350C. Toss the kale in a large bowl with a couple splashes of olive oil, a couple pinches of salt and a tasteful coating of parmesan cheese. Do not overdo it as the kale already comes packed with delicious flavours that you don't want to disguise!
Spread the kale out on a cookie sheet and pop it in the oven for approximately 10 minutes (until it gets golden brown). Be sure to keep you eyes on it so you don't burn it at the end as kale takes to heat quite fast!

Enjoy!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Stella Bella Survives Coyote Attack!!!

To all my avid readers who are anxiously awaiting this post, Stella is recovering very well from the coyote attack and it won't be long before she is back to good, old self! This whole tragedy turned miracle has really taken us for a spin but we are so incredibly happy and lucky to have our dog back!
The vet at Cambridge Animal Hospital described her situation as the "luckiest dog in the world" as there could have been a series in moments gone wrong -- but thankfully, they didn't. (i.e. coyote could have kept running and not have dropped her, he could have killed her on the first bite which is usually the case with these animals and small prey, ironically the bite marks were just surrounding her vital organs and if they were 1mm to the right or left, things would not have turned out as miraculously as they did). If you have any questions or want more details, please email me as I don't want to paint too much negativity into this happy, positive post!

Currently, Stella is in amazing spirits, a little sore but still able to throw in a game of fetch with her sister (our daughter), Maya! She shows no signs (so far) of recollection of the tragic event and ready and willing to eat anything available to her. She is tougher than all of us!
We are SO lucky and really feel like Stella was given a new life! Thank you to all our caring and supportive family and friends who have helped us get through this difficult time...it will not be forgotten :) xo

http://swo.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110205/Coyote2011-02-05/20110205/?hub=SWOHome

http://www.570news.com/news/local/article/179203--coyote-attacks-dog

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Stella, Our Miracle Dog xoxo

Sorry I have not posted for the past few days. An incident occured on Friday morning where a coyote attacked my little 5 lb chihuahua x yorkie, Stella, on our front porch in daylight in less than a minute. Thankfully, the coyote dropped Stella from its mouth when my husband saw what happened and ran after it screaming. It is an incredible tragedy and Stella is still in emergency fighting for her life.
Through all of the tears and pain, we are so thankful and lucky that Stella has survived this long and continues to be in amazing spirits given what she has been through. She had a tremendous amount of damage caused by the attack and The Cambridge Animal Hospital has done an incredible job helping to get her back to good health. We were able to take her home last night (only for the night) so that she felt closer to home and comfort. We showered her with love and kisses and sat next to her all night listening to her whimper in pain and discomfort. Today she is at the clinic for further assessment and monitoring so we are crossing our fingers she will make it through this being the tough terrier she is. We are very hopeful.
Sadly, this is not the first coyote attack or sighting in our neighbourhood. Coyotes are swarming this neighbourhood and I hear them almost every night and see the drops of blood from a recent kill in our driveway. It is incredibly painful to go through this and so uncomfortable to live in fear of walking out your front door because you never know if they are lurking.
I would like to ask everyone who reads this to please, please, please take all precautions against coyotes. Keep all your dogs with you at all times, leashed and make lots of noise when going outside. If they came to my front porch to attack my poor puppy, I beleive that anything can happen and it is important to watch your children at all times also.
It is my hope the Ministry of Natural Resources steps up and handles this situation by relocating the coyotes to non-residential areas before more attacks occur.
I would be happy and open to any comments or advice.