Our Sheepish Lion

Nearly a year ago my husband and I decided to surprise our kids with a bombshell - a dog. Three out of four of us have extreme pet allergies, so the kids had resigned themselves to a dogless childhood. When my husband and I discovered that the poodle breed was an option, we began our covert search for the perfect pet.

Based on friends’ and family’s success with rescue adoption, we decided this was our best option. There are so many unwanted dogs no longer in the “cute puppy phase”, and we were looking for a grown dog.

Lambert (based on the Disney animation) arrived at Logan Airport from Illinois in December 2009. She’s a two-year old, black toy poodle with an amazingly passive disposition. Her foster family told us that she was rescued from a puppy mill, and she had enjoyed her rescue days with lots of other animals on a farm.

Today, Lambert relishes her role as sole family pet. She’s an equal opportunity lover, silly, and amazingly smart. We strongly recommend rescue adoption to anyone considering a pet.

Van Otis Chocolates, IncrediBREW, and the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire have partnered to create a chocolate cordial that features the award-winning chocolate raspberry port made by IncrediBREW as part of their Animal Rescue League series of wines. Partial proceeds from the cordial sales will be donated to the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire.

The cordials can be purchased at IncrediBREW, Van Otis Chocolates, and the Animal Rescue League’s fundraising events. For more information, visit the companies’ websites: www.vanotis.com, www.incredibrew.com, www.rescueleague.org.

Dress for Dinner

Unfortunately, mealtime etiquette is a fairly low priority for our family. With our hectic schedules we take pride in actually having eaten rather than accomplishing that task with polish and grace. Seriously, it’s not easy enforcing manners while eating a nugget on the car ride from practice to rehearsal.

Holidays are our opportunity for a slowdown. I look forward to a festive table and even make an effort to put the utensils in their proper order and position. I’m drawn to centerpieces, but my very practical side knows that they typically make a short-lived appearance before swiftly being replaced by the meal. So I’m constantly on the hunt for smaller, more permanent solutions to dress up the holiday table.

This year I’ve decided to add a surprise and no, I don’t mean a salad fork. Sidling the dinner plate will be a piece of chocolate in the small, covered dishes that I recently purchased at an unnamed, local retailer. (Don’t You Just Love a Bargain?) These dishes were intended for individual butter servings, but I think they’ll be perfect sweet treat holders. When dinner guests find a Van Otis decorative truffle or foiled chocolate next to their plate, the burning question won’t be which fork to use but whether or not to eat dessert first. No need to consult Emily Post for that answer.

Do You Have to Sneeze or Are You Doing Your Laundry

I had two important goals as a young girl. I was going to be either one of Charlie’s Angels or Bewitched’s Samantha Stephens. I spent hours working on my silhouetted angels’ pose and my nose twitch. I’m still pretty good at both, if I do say so myself.

Imagine being Samantha Stephens. Your housework, cooking, and childcare all done at the expense of a little nasal irritation. Sure, your mother and neighbors are a little annoying, but whose aren’t? Top that off with the fact that you get to change husbands without a messy divorce proceeding. As long as you keep calling him Darrin, no one will even notice!

Bring out your inner Samantha at the Witchy Women’s Celebration at Van Otis Chocolates’ Elm Street, Manchester retail store on October 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Costumes aren’t required to attend the event, but there will be a $50 prize awarded for the best costume. There will also be wine tasting hosted by Zorvino Vineyards, chocolate fountains, giveaways, and raffles. Kids’ games will also be available because unlike Samantha, we can’t all leave our Tabithas unattended upstairs.

Sew Scary

Having been raised in a household of creatively-minded people, Halloween has always been a holiday of expression, from the pumpkin carving to the costumes. My sister and I had some enviable and memorable costumes over the years. Our mother, the seamstress, put all store-bought, nylon and plastic apparel to shame.

My love of a good disguise has been passed down to my daughter. She and her close friend spend most of their trick-or-treating time discussing their costumes for the following year. This gives them a mere 364 days to prepare.

Last year, her old lady costume was complete with a walker and crocheted handbag. She insisted on walking like an elderly person with aforementioned walker which made for slow trick-or-treating. She also carried hard candy and distributed a piece at every household we visited. I put my foot down when she asked to put moth balls in her pockets.

This year it’s all about simplification. The girls are going to be mimes, primarily so that they can write “Trick-or-Treat” on a sign and won’t have to talk. I guess last year’s costume really tired them out.

The real treats can be found at Van Otis Chocolates’ Elm Street, Manchester retail store and online at www.vanotis.com. They carry decadent seasonal items such as pumpkin spice malt balls, pumpkin pie creams, pumpkin fudge, peanut brittle, chocolate Halloween-themed molds, chocolate Halloween-themed pops, and chocolate/caramel dipped apples. Happy Halloween!