Daisy the Houdini Cockapoo

Daisy Mae, harnessed and ready to go!

We headed west this morning, after feeding Ginny, for a family visit in Iowa.  It has been about 3 months since our last visit, so we were a bit overdue.  Unlike previous visits, we brought Daisy Mae, our lovely cockapoo with us.  My in-laws invited us to bring her this time around.  Chris and I decided this would be a good practice run for a visit we will be making to Florida.  

Ginny, all excited by having Daisy with her on the drive! ;)

Daisy Mae loves going for a ride! Convincing her to come with us was not an issue.  I put her in her harness and attached her to the seat belt so that she wouldn't get hurt if there were an accident, and so that she wouldn't wander around aimlessly while we were driving.  I'm sure that Ginny was thrilled to have Daisy in the backseat with her as well.

Within 45 minutes, if that, Ginny performed a Houdini act by escaping from her harness.  Chris was fit to be tied.  Now, having raised 8-year-old Daisy since she was a pup, I knew she had this ability to escape a harness (which is why she wears a collar and NOT a harness).  I realized that it was likely that I needed to adjust the harness a bit, but was not concerned or upset.  Chris, on the other hand, was NOT thrilled.  

Chris prior to Daisy's 2nd Houdini act! See how happy he was!

After getting Daisy reharnessed and locked into her seat, we continued on our drive.  We were doing really good until we stopped at a rest area so that I could nurse Ginny, and Chris could walk Daisy.  As soon as the car came to a stop, Daisy again Houdinied her way out of that harness, eager to get out of the car.  Chris looked as though he might have a heart attack.  I reassured him and told him I would adjust the harness again.

Nearly 2 hours further down the road, we stopped at a gas station to fill up the car.  Daisy was going ballistic.  Doing her best to get out of that harness, but not succeeding.  Ginny and I left so I could change Ginny's diaper while Chris filled the tank.  When I got back to the car, I saw that Daisy was calmly laying in the back seat.  I remarked that she must have given up.  Chris told me that Daisy had not given up and had actually gotten out of the harness again. Looking at Chris, I could tell his patience was wearing thin.  I, on the other hand, was not concerned.  When the car was moving, Daisy was calm and good.  There only seemed to be an issue when we stopped, at this point.

Daisy expressing how much she loved the back seat

We went only 30 more minutes down the road and pulled into a rest area.  Ginny wasn't happy.  I decided I would nurse her again to see if it helped.  I also suggested to Chris that we could move Daisy up in the front, I would take over driving, and he could sit in the back with Ginny until we reached our destination.  He was up for that.  Once Chris was settled in the back, he said, in no uncertain terms, "Daisy is not coming with us to Florida."  I guess he had enough. So, now I need to book a kennel reservation for Daisy. 

Funny enough, the rest of the drive to Ames, Iowa went without incident. Daisy laid calmly in the passenger seat next to me and slept the whole time.  When we arrived at our destination, she did not try to get out of the harness, but stayed put, eagerly waiting for me to unharness her.  Now I am wondering if the issue was that she didn't like being in the back seat or if this was a secret ploy of hers to be kenneled when we go to Florida.  After all, she loves the kennel and all those who work there.  If only dogs could talk.

Bye, Bye Mizzou! Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Ass on Your Way Out

As the address of my blog may indicate, I am a KU Jayhawk.  While my family lived in St. Louis and was full of Mizzou fans, I decided to go to the rival, The University of Kansas!

During the fall of my senior year of high school, I went to visit 2 colleges: Mizzou and KU.  The moment we arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, I began to fall in love.  Once on the campus, I was able to take a tour and speak to the head of the journalism school.  In my heart, at that moment, I knew I must go to KU.  The next day, I tried to clear those feelings as I toured Mizzou.  Mizzou didn't do it for me.  Granted, it was rainy the day I visited Mizzou and the sun shined when I was at KU, but Mizzou didn't feel like the right fit for me.  First off, I didn't want to go to the same school everyone from high school was planning to attend.  I wanted to go some place where I would have a fresh start. My experiences in high school were not the best.  But, additionally, I didn't like how the campus felt. I was especially concerned at the size of the MU journalism school compared to that of KU.  KU's journalism program was a bit smaller, and I didn't feel I would be "lost" there.

There was no guarantee about attending KU because it was out-of-state and therefore, more expensive.  I was prepared to attend Mizzou if I couldn't pull the money together to go to KU. My parents watched as I worked hard to make my dream come true.  One day in the spring, they told me they found a way to cover the additional expense--that I could attend KU.  I was shocked but exceedingly happy!

I loved my four years at KU! I wished I could have stayed longer, but it wasn't possible.  While I was there, I made many wonderful friends, had some fabulous (and not so fabulous but more fab than not) experiences, and learned a lot.  One of my favorite things to do was attend all the football and basketball games.  I also went to other sports events, on occasion.

There are two huge rivalries for KU: the Kansas State Wildcats (KSU) and Mizzou.  The Mizzou rivalry, also known as the Border War, has been going on since before KU became a school.  The rivalry began just before the start of the Civil War.  Today, that rivalry, that has been going for OVER 100 years, was thrown away like a piece of paper because Mizzou got greedy (IMO).  They left the Big 12 Conference (a conference they helped begin in 1907 with the start of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association along with KU and Nebraska) to join the SEC.

To be quite frank, this upsets me a great deal.  While I am not a Mizzou fan, I valued the rivalry that existed. The history between the schools in our conference.  Most of the schools in the Big 12 have been in the same conference for 83 years.  But, I guess money won out over history and tradition.  I was reading articles about this and someone blames the instability of the Big 12 for this decision.  I disagree with that assessment because it became clear last fall, when Nebraska became the first traitor to the conference, that Mizzou was trying to leave the Big 12 already.  They had been looking for a way out and found it this year.  Bully for them.

I hope this move bites Mizzou on the butt.  Bitter, I know, but it is how I feel.  I do think it will.  While the Big 12 conference has some decent football teams, it does not compare to the power of the SEC.  Mizzou will now have to regularly face teams like Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee in the East.  They'll also be facing the West Division with teams like Florida, 'Bama, LSU, and Arkansas.  It won't be pretty for them.  My guess is that they won't make it to any bowl games because they will be hard-pressed to win enough in this division to get there.

It is a sad day today.  Mizzou will now be subject to facing the other Big 12 teams in competition that they are thumbing their nose at.  I imagine it won't be pretty and that they will get booed.  Yesterday, they played Baylor and faced chants of S-E-C.  It won't get any easier.

There is one good thing in all of this.  West Virginia (WVU) has now joined the Big 12 as well as TCU. Hopefully, a few more teams will join as well.  I've heard rumors that BYU or Louisville might come over as well.  Only time will tell.

Rock Chalk, Jayhawks! Boo Mizzou!

I Want Some Gooey Goodness

One of my favorite treats growing up was Gooey Butter Cake. When Mom would bake it, it was a happy day at home for all. We all loved it. It wasn't until I got older that I discovered that the rest of the world had not heard of this sweet, delicious treat. Gooey Butter Cake is a St. Louis treat. If you are not from St. Louis, then it is likely that you have never had it unless you know someone from the area or have a friend who is friends or family with someone from St. Louis.

It is a cake I love to eat and it is easy to bake. Today, I decided to bake one up. Right now I'm seriously thinking of tearing into it before Chris gets home. Before I do that, I thought I would share the recipe (which you can also get from google, but my recipe has visuals. So there.)

First, you need your ingredients to get you started: 16 oz of powdered sugar, yellow cake mix, 8 oz of cream cheese (you'll want it out for a while before you start so it can soften), one stick of butter or margarine (melted), and 4 eggs (large is best).

All the ingredients ready to go.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Then, in a large bowl, mix the cake mix, melted butter, and 2 eggs.  Once it is fully mixed and sticky, you will spread it in the bottom of a greased 13x9x2 pan.

Layer 1.  I use a spatula to evenly spread it in the pan. The spatula is great, too,
because it won't have residual mix left on it.

Next, in a separate bowl, mix the powdered sugar (all of it) with the 2 remaining eggs and the cream cheese.  You will know it is ready when it is nice and smooth.

Layer 2.  Smooth as silk.

Once that is ready, poor the powdered sugar mix on top of the first layer.  Spread it evenly on top. Place the cake in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until it is golden brown in spots on top.

Before going in the oven

The cake is ready!! :)

You will want to wait until the cake fully cools before diving in and eating it.  I've heard of some people eating it while it is warm, but I prefer it at room temp (or even cool).

A piece of cake ready to be eaten!

Don't forget to eat some of the topping before cleaning your bowl.
It is yummy! Salmonella be damned! :)

For those of you who decide to try this, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Gooey Butter Cake

1 stick of butter, melted

1 box of yellow cake mix

4 eggs (large are best)

16 oz powdered sugar

8 oz cream cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix 2 eggs with the cake mix and the melted butter.  Spread on the bottom of a 13x9x2 pan. Then mix the remaining 2 eggs with softened cream cheese and a pound of powdered sugar.  Pour the mix on top of the cake mix layer. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until lightly golden brown on top. Let cool before serving.