Puppy School

It's time to meet Rocco. Rocco is our 15-week old Black Lab/Beagle mix. He's a bundle of snuggly, chewy, smart, naughty puppy energy. Current weight: approximately 10 pounds. He goes to the vet next week, and we'll have an official count. His last official weigh in was a couple of weeks ago - then, he weighed in at 8.3lbs.

Rocco just started puppy school.

Yesterday was our third Puppy Education class and it's been an interesting adventure for us so far.

As Dana said after our first class, he was "more class clown than Teacher's pet."

Before we started Puppy School, we'd hardly ever heard Rocco's voice. He had cried the first night we had him home, but other than that, he'd mostly been a very quiet little pup. So, you can imagine our surprise when our quiet furbaby starting barking within seconds of being in class. He barked and he barked and he barked. For nearly the entire class.

He was much better behaved in the second class, but still, the naughtiest puppy there. We tell ourselves he has more personality than the others! He catches on quickly and we know he's very, very smart. He's a headstrong little guy and he struggles on a leash. He doesn't seem to have a problem whipping himself around when things aren't going his way. We've been working on the techniques that our Puppy School instructor armed us with and, after a pretty decent walk yesterday morning, I thought he might really be ready to impress at school that same evening.

And he almost was. He has sit down pat. He's good at "watch me", "leave it" and "go get it." We're working on "drop it." So far, so good. He even did well practicing a polite and calm way to say hello to other dogs. Yay! We're making progress!

And then, leash training. Even after our nice walk earlier that day, at Puppy School, Rocco turned into a naughty puppy walking on the leash. He pulls, he twists, he barks, he jumps...anything he can do except walk beside us.

At the advice of the instructor, we switched Rocco from a harness to a collar, in the hopes that it will discourage his pulling.

So, we'll see.

Best Recipe from (this) Christmas Past

So, this was our very first Christmas as a married couple. Very exciting.

Since my immigration status is under review - I entered the U.S. on a K-1 fiance visa and now am in the process of filing for Adjustment of Status to become a pernament resident - I do not have the paperwork I need to cross any international borders right now. Which meant, we couldn't go "home" to Canada for the holidays. Additionally, Dana's parents had planned to spend the holiday with his sister, her husband, and their two young boys. So it was just the two of us, having a nice little romantic Christmas at home.

I, being the aspiring home-chef that I am, couldn't let the holiday pass by without whipping my kitchen into a frenzy. It was pretty standard Christmas dinner fare: turkey breast, a small ham, my mother's recipe for Sweet Potato Bake, mashed potatoes, etc.

But the real standout at our Christmas dinner table was this phenomenal Apple Pie. Here is the recipe that I used:

Pastry for one 9" pie.

1/2 cup butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

1/4 cup of water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

5 large tart apples (I used Granny Smith) - peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-1/2 inch slices

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

-Prepare the pie. Press bottom crust into pie plate and fill with prepared apples. Have top curst ready to go nearby, with slits or cuts already made.

-Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan.

-Whisk in the flour, allowing the mixture to thicken to a paste.

-Add water, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Stir to mix and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and let simmer for one minute.

-Pour the butter and sugar mixture over the apples - reserving about 1/4 cup.

-Quickly place the top crust over the pie and crimp the edges.

-Using a pastry brush, gently brush remaining butter/sugar mixture over the top crust.

-Bake for 12 minutes in preheated over.

-Prop oven open and reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

-Continue to bake for 30-40 minutes, closing the oven after the first ten minutes.

This recipe was definitely a keeper! The crust came out golden, wasn't soggy on the bottom, and the apples were soft but not mushy! This pie may have become our very own holiday tradition.

Give it a try!

PS: This recipe was based on "Apple Pie by Grandma Ople" on allrecipes.com

Meet the Newlyweds!

Hi! My name is Melissa, and I am the blogger behind The Newlywed Nest! I'm hoping to get my husband, Dana, to post once in awhile, to add a little male perspective!

We met in 2007, bonding immediately over our mutual love for the sport of hockey! Dana, being American, and I, being Canadian, carried on a long-distance relationship (LDR) until we married in September 2009. I am now in the ever-exciting processes of immigration to the U.S.

I'm artsy where Dana is technical. I'm emotional where Dana is practical. We are, in many ways, a study in contrasts and in balance. As I'm sure this blog will begin to show, it makes life interesting!

Starting is the Thing

Beginnings are hard. It's not always easy to start fresh, to make something of nothing, to launch something new.

Writing out loud and putting my voice out there like this is something I've been meaning to do, and now, here I am at the beginning of my very own blog.

I'm at the start, which is kind of the point. Starting is the thing.

This is the Newlywed Nest. Being newly married comes with all different kinds of starts - starting a home, starting a marriage, starting a family and - for me - starting a life in a whole new country. I really wasn't kidding when I said I was at the start!

Ready - Set - Go!

Here, I plan to share the trials and tribulations of newlywed life. The very nature of being at the start of something means that you don't know exactly where you'll end up - but I can say that I plan to share my adventures in immigration, homemaking, puppy-rearing, family planning, cooking and all things in between!

Stay tuned as my husband and I put together our very own Newlywed Nest.

~ Melissa