Coffee Break

It’s been awhile since I checked in. How are you? How’s your summer coming along?

My heart is breaking at the condition of our world. It feels like every week, we wake up to (or God forbid are directly affected by) gruesome and chilling news of attacks drawn from nothing but hate. Reading, watching, feeling, breaking, and praying as the stories unfold is a shuttering reminder that there must be change. And it must be now. My heart is pouring out to all those in France this morning as you pick up the pieces from another tragedy. Let’s all stand together no matter who you are or where you came from, talk about it, remain connected, accept one another, hope, pray, stay strong, and find joy in the little things… together.

The pups! These two are hilariously weird together. Since we adopted Franklin a couple months ago, he has doubled his weight. He’s now almost 26 lbs and absolutely hamming it up. He knows exactly how cute he is.

Frank’s current favorites include:

• Bringing sticks inside and hiding them under couch cushions


• Laying on his belly and smiling at you


• Putting his nose inside Jude’s mouth (dangerous in there little buddy!)


• Eating his food in 12 seconds


• Chasing bumble bees


• Being an escape artist

He’s escaped from his crate while we’re gone 3x now. We have zero idea how this is possible and are convinced Jude helps him and then they go romp around the house together. Maybe they invite their friends over? I’m really not sure anymore.

I don’t know if you’ve seen my snapchats of little Frank, but he loves digging for his toys underneath his bed cushion. He lays on his back and snorts like a piglet, all while digging for a bone he put underneath the cushion. It’s impossible to get any computer work done during these snorting episodes.

He’s obsessed with Jude and follows him all around the house and in the backyard. As for Jude? He has a “whatever” attitude about his new little brother. There were a couple incidents with protecting his food and toys, but things have gotten easier as Jude gets used to Franklin. They snuggle together, play together, and then my heart melts. If this is how I feel about my dogs, I can only imagine the crazy obsessive mother to humans I will be.

Those cookies up up up there? Do I even have to tell you which grocery store bakery they came from? I got them for inspiration purposes. Cookie research, if you will. They were chocolate chip walnut dipped in chocolate. And they were BLISSFUL.

Great news for all future Sally’s Baking Addiction recipes and my personal sanity! The kitchen is coming along quickly these days. We think it will be complete in just a couple weeks. They’re working on the backsplash tile and installing the appliances at this point. The upper cabinets are in, the double ovens (!!!) are in, the handles and knobs are on the cabinets, and the electrical work is almost 100% complete. The sink works, so we have somewhere besides the utility sink to wash dishes. I never in a million years thought I would be so excited about… a sink.

This weekend is my friend Kristen’s birthday and we’re celebrating big! Kevin and I are staying with Kristen and her husband for the weekend in Baltimore– which is not too far from our new home. Kristen is my running buddy, so we have a long run ahead of us, lots of dog play time, great food, music, movies, and birthday dessert. Last night we celebrated by going to a 90’s themed concert; a cover band playing all 90’s hits. We wore neon and fanny packs and sweat bands. And it was amazing.

Hope you’re having a good one! What are you baking today?

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