I'm in LOVE. With a BANNER.

Yes,  a banner. MINE! IN AN ALL CAPS KIND OF LOVE, love.

Look at how nice it is! I'm all cute and skinny in it (ha!) but also look at my Stella! She's beautiful and also pretty!

I have become a crazy dog lady, by the way. If I didn't know before, it's totally been proven when I can't decide if I'm more excited about a skinny picture of myself or a cute picture of my dog.

So here's the best part. Not only is this thing TEH AWESOME but it comes from my favoritest food blogger, the one who does the funniest possible recaps and/or parodies of the world of food. So a big thank you to Kathy, aka theminx, and I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite works of hers:

The Guy Fieri parody Dipshits, Douchebags, and Dorks 
The Top Chef Bastards Series
Most recently, the Top Chef All-Stars Episode Nine Recap (aka 'Hambooger')


Also, this picture:

She also shares recipes and what I'll call "food moments" and reviews local restaurants on her website Minxeats. So thanks again Minxy! I guess I'll have to blog more now...

Did I mention Stella's latest brush with fame?

OK, in case I missed you, she continues to be more famous and more popular than I ever will.
Plus she photographs better!

She was featured on The Baltimore Sun's pet blog "Unleashed" on April 13.
...I didn't even have to enter her- the author found me!!

Collared Today: Stella

My baby goes under the knife- on tv.

This was definitely the most interesting Valentine's I'm likely to ever have (since I'm not particularly fond of the day, single or no)!

Stella got spayed.

You're gonna do whaaat?
Aw hell to the naw.

But as a supermodel!
Well, that's different. I accept.


The Maryland SPCA here in Baltimore City opened a new low cost spay/neuter clinic and she was the "model" pit bull puppy for the procedure- since all their puppies are fixed before adoption they wanted a community pit bull to use as an example.

Now, the fact that she has a heart on her chest, and that she turned 4 months old, all on Valentine's Day?

...and is not afraid to pose nude?

All a coincidence- it's all about who you know and the wonderful man who adopted her mother (a shout-out to Vince C!) knew the Development Director at MD-SPCA and suggested Stella.

More surprising- we ended up being featured on two local newscasts as part of the story: WJZ (CBS) filmed part of her surgery (don't worry, no gross stuff) and WMAR (ABC) was really funny. The opening was also covered in the Baltimore Sun although we weren't mentioned.

The MD-SPCA people did a fantastic job- everyone was so nice and just perfect, really. Stella is doing wonderfully (although cranky that she can't be as active as usual) and I couldn't have asked for a better experience.


I can has sticks AND chewies again?

Baby, I'm a Star.

My puppy is a star! (And I am a stage mom.)

The Maryland SPCA is opening a new spay & neuter clinic for low-income eligible pet owners here in Baltimore- hoping that it will encourage owners to get their animals spayed/neutered without as much of a concern for costs. They wanted to use a pit bull/pit bull mix puppy both to educate about the breed and to encourage people to spay/neuter their pit bulls and other popular "city dogs". Since they spay their puppies before adoption they were looking for one in the city still needing to be spayed- and my sweet Stella fit the bill.

Not only will my puppy with a little heart on her chest be celebrating Valentine's Day by getting "fixed" but I just realized that the 14th will be Stella's birthday (4 months old!) That is a whole lotta coincidences, yes?

If you (or anyone) is interested, there are pictures of her here (lots of new ones):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/annrc/sets/72157602744958902/

This is Stella at 7 weeks. She is twice as big now at 12 weeks but I've been so busy being with her I haven't had a chance to post new pictures. I will soon, I promise!