Museum of the City of New York

I just got back from a great trip to NYC, Washington D.C., and Annapolis. I managed to squeeze in three museum visits during my trip. In DC Kristin, Ben, and I went to the National Archives were we saw the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. We also when to the American History Museum where we saw a food exhibit that included Julia Child's kitchen and the exhibit with the first ladies' dresses. 

After living in New York and visiting multiple times I've covered many of the museums. One that I have always wanted to visit is the Museum of the City of New York and we made it happen this trip. My mother-in-law, Laura, and I really enjoyed this museum which sits on Fifth Avenue and 103rd St. The museum is in the Colonial Revival style and has a stunning entryway with a giant marble staircase and modern chandelier.

We are standing at the base of the staircase. At the top of the stairs is a movie theater that shows a 22 min film about New York history. It shows its movements from a Dutch colony to a British colony to the multicultural mecca that it is today.

Hanukkah

We just concluded the festival of lights, Hanukkah. It was a beautiful eight days filled with many adventures. It started out with a bang at Steven's first horn recital. It was such a blessing to light the first night's candle with Steven's mom and sister, Michelle.

The middle was a little sad as we had to give Ohana back to the vet to find another home more suited for her needs. She was a wonderful, sweet dog but couldn't handle sharing our love with anyone else and Copley was suffering because of that. We knew that we couldn't do that to him or her, so we thought it was best to let the vet find another family, without any other dogs, for sweet Ohana.

The festival concluded with a potluck at the temple. It was a fun affair filled with 27 chanukiyot and a klezmer band. This was the first time I got to hear the songs and watch the children run around screaming. And, of course, the latkes were fantastic!

The Story of Ohana

(side note, I've run out of storage on Picasa so it's not allowing me to put anymore photos on the blog. For now, I'll use facebook until I decide if I want to bite the bullet and pay for storage)

I saw a post by a friend the other week on Facebook that had a picture of the cutest Yorkie and a story about a vet in Waverly, NE that was rescuing adult dogs from a puppy mill. The vet essentially had the backyard puppy mill shut down and agreed to place all the dogs. She also incurred the cost of spay/neutering all the dogs and doing any other medical treatment needed. After hearing the story, I felt compelled to get more information and see if they might have a dog that would fit with our current situation. It so happened that a family who had adopted Ohana had an emergency of some sort and had to return her. The vet tech thought she might be good for us since she was already house trained and a very calm dog. These dogs had never been out of kennels for their whole lives and had really lacked any human interaction. That made us both nervous, but the glowing reviews of Ohana made us feel a little more at ease.
I went and met her several times and then we decided to bring Copley for a little visit. Copley is usually the life of the party at the kennel he goes to so we weren't too worried. They got along really well, so we decided to try a play date at home (which, must to Steven's dismay) turned into a permanent visit. Little Ohana hasn't left since.
There are a few little kinks to be worked out, but we're all doing great. Ohana is having a little trouble doing all her pottying outside. We don't know if it's age/mother related that she leaks a little, but we're hoping to get it taken care of. She has found her night-time spot, which makes the night so much smoother.
The next task is to get her groomed and get them both switched to another food. We're having some allergy issues and hoping the switch cures it.

Copley's New Bed

Copley was a little sick last week, so I felt bad for him and decided to make him a new bed. It will also help cut down on the "doggie on couch" thing. 

I bought a yard of fleece and a bag of pillow filling. I cut the pieces of fleece into little strips on all sides and then tied them in knots. I started with a square but cut the corners a bit round, so it ended up like a circle. Before tying the fourth side, I filled it and then tied it. I used less filling than a pillow so he can sleep on it easier.

I think it was a huge success. Although sometimes he likes to sleep near it and not on it. Silly puppy.

Fall Update

I wish I had more pictures for you, but my phone was acting up and I got a new one. In the process I lost all of my photos from June to now. It seems odd being that I had an external storage card in the phone. So all you're left with is photos of Copley since he's always an available subject. However, you'll still get a recap!
In the beginning of October we headed to Cleveland to visit the Kings. We got to see an Akron Symphony concert, Charlie's soccer practice, Amelia's cello recital, and a Cleveland Orchestra concert. The weekend was jam packed with events and it was so great to see the kids in action.
The following weekend we jetted off to Chicago for the Nebraska vs. Northwestern game. It was a thriller (as they all seem to be these days) and the weather was beautiful. It was great to catch up with Steven's aunt and uncle who live in the Windy City.
Then we took a deep breath and let the fun roll on. We had a great time at the Nebraska vs. Michigan game and attended one of the best tailgates to date.

This is Copley's Halloween costume, corn on the dog. 

less than thrilled.........

waking up one morning.

A little pumpkin carving action at Kim's house. My owl last 2 days before nose diving into the back of the pumpkin. 

As I sit and write this Steven is in Lansing, Michigan where he watched the Huskers pull out a narrow victory over the Spartans.

Creative Sisters

My sister, Lindy, made this bracelet for me after seeing one and quickly snapping a picture. I failed to get a shot of the back which hooks with a cool button. It doesn't look crocheted, does it?!

My sister-in-law, Susan, is a fantastic writer and recently wrote an article about the Jewish holiday, Sukkot. Here's the link to the article and a picture of the sukkah that she recreated.

And last, but not least, my other sister-in-law, Michelle, is now a board certified physician. What an amazing family!

Happy September

We finally got some rain today and the heat has subsided for the moment. It feels like fall and I can't wait. I'm going to my first Husker game of the season on Saturday and then it will definitely be fall. 

I drove up to Minnesota with my parents last weekend to visit my nephews. They are so full of life, I can barely keep up with them. Martin, who is 5, is growing up and he even had a sleepover at the motel with us. We played in the pool, visited a farm, and watched some football.  The photo above was taken right after Matthew said, "watch, I can do amazing tricks."

A big yawn during our afternoon walk.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was delicious and nutritious. Mac-n-cheese with spinach.