Last week on April 28th our sweet Dewey turned 5 years old! I can't believe that he's been with us for 5 whole years - I still clearly remember the day we brought him home. We were so excited to add a second corgi to our family! We always have some sort of little celebration for our doggy birthdays. This year I went to pick out a few all-natural gourmet dog treats from Tail Bangers. They make all kinds of decorated treats and they are just toooo cute! They are made from real ingredients and they smell fresh and delicious. It would be easy to mistake them for human treats! Did I mention they are SO cute??
Here's the birthday boy himself. He's still as much of a stinker as he was when he was a tiny, fuzzy little meatball of a puppy.
I picked out a white frosted donut with rainbow sprinkles and an adorable blue cupcake treat with colorful jimmies. Do they make human versions of these? They should. I mean, for real... they smelled like gingerbread cookies covered with a sweet yogurt-y frosting. But don't worry, I promise I saved them for the dogs.
He wasn't entirely sure, but he was hopin' and prayin' that the treat was for him. To guarantee it, he gave me his face that said, "Dearest mother, how I love you so."
Because the treats are huge and corgi tummies are small, Dexter and Dewey shared each one over the course of two days. It's like they each get two birthdays a year because we can't possibly celebrate one without including the other! I'm so happy that these two have each other, because I know it's been a rough 6 months for them with Jasper barreling his way into their lives. They've been very forgiving of the reduced attention (though it's been better now that Jasper is a little older) and they are content to roughhouse with each other and snuggle up on the couch in a dogpile for companionship. I love these two so much.
On Saturday we headed downtown and perused the weekly Market Square Farmers' Market It was the first day of the season and the weather was absolutely gorgeous, so the place was bumpin' with locals and tourists alike. It's easy to get a little cabin-fevered when Matt works remotely and I currently stay home with the baby, so even something as simple as wandering around, soaking up some sunshine, and looking at crafts and fresh local produce can be just the thing to rejuvenate us!
Matt insisted on being the one to wear the baby while we were shopping since he misses Jasper during the week while he's working and can't interact with him as much. We recently bought an ERGObaby carrier and it's the greatest thing ever, seriously. Don't get me wrong, I love our Chicco Keyfit 30 stroller and I use it ALL the time, but when running solo errands or trying to navigate tight or crowded areas it's just so much easier to wear him. The best part is that after an initial few days of uncertainty, Jasper loves it! He was making us giggle by rolling his head back and grinning at us as we shopped. He's totally into faces nowadays and loves seeing new and different people.
Oh, and see the drool stains on the straps? Boy loves to sit there and casually suck/chew on those things as he rides along. They stay soaked!
We needed to pick up a birthday gift for a friend and had already decided that we wanted to get some delicious balsamic vinegar and olive oil from The Tree & Vine. It's one of my favorite shops downtown! There is a massive selection of flavors and you can try all of them for free before committing to a purchase. Once you've decided the bottles are filled and sealed right in front of you. You just haven't lived until you've drizzled cinnamon pear balsamic on a sweet potato, fig balsamic over vanilla ice cream (seriously!), pomegranate balsamic over a nice crisp salad, black truffle garlic olive oil on your pasta, lemon-infused olive oil on your roasted vegetables, or.... okay, I'll stop there, but you get the picture.
But for real, if you're a food lover and you live in Knoxville, you need to visit The Tree & Vine.
Once we pulled ourselves away from there we headed to Mast General Store because it's just so darn fun to browse around in that place. They've got everything from apparel, camping and hiking gear, pet accessories, jewelry, fun kitchen and foodie items to big barrels lined with gingham fabric filled with old-fashioned candy. We purchased a bag of coconut clusters to munch on while we shopped.
Once we got home we made this confetti rice and bean salad. It was so crisp and refreshing and stupid easy to make. I used this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and I can't say enough good things about it. It would be the perfect side dish for any spring and summer cookout. This is one that is going into our permanent collection, for sure!
Sunday morning was about as lazy as it can get. I woke up early because Jasper wanted an early breakfast, but then I brought him into the bed to snuggle with Matt for a while to give me a chance to sneak out to start a pot of coffee and get a head start on a grocery list. When I returned a few minutes later, this is what I found... and this scene didn't change much for a good 2 hours. (and don't worry, I didn't leave him unattended with those horrible baby-killing blankets and pillows while Matt snoozed... I was nearby the whole time!)
We spent the day doing chores, I grocery shopped, and then later in the afternoon one of Matt's longtime friends stopped by on his way through town. We haven't seen him in years so it was great to catch up. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend!
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