Ollie is a little bitty weiner dog that thinks he’s a great dane and hogs more than his fair share of the bed. I’ve woken up more than once to see Mike clinging to the side of the bed because Ollie won’t make room for him to get comfortable.

Besides buying Ollie his own queen size mattress, the only solution to a good night sleep for Mike and I are large dog beds so that Ollie can sprawl out like he’s accustom to doing.

I’m partial to the Harry Barker dog beds because they come in simple shapes and colors that match our apartment, but the Bowsers dog beds, especially the Bowsers Ball, look awfully comfy, too.

So, if we do ever kick Ollie out of bed in favor of a peaceful slumber, don’t feel sorry for him, because he’ll be relaxing in his own designer dog bed.

You’re answering this week’s Four Foods on Friday questions on your blog, right? Good. If you don’t have a blog, don’t feel left out. You can answer them right here in my comments section!

1. Are your kitchen utensils nylon, silicone, wood or other?

Everything we have is a mish-mosh. We’re at that stage where we are still renting an apartment, so we still tend to live like college students. I have big plans for proper dishes and utensils once we buy a house.

2. Do you prefer dishes washed in a dishwasher or by hand?

Doesn’t much matter as long as I don’t have to do them.

3. How many sets of dishes do you have?

I am positive we don’t have a complete set of dishes. There’s a set of plates and bowls that match, but there’s also favorite one-off dishes and bowls, as well as different platters that were used in photoshoots at work.

4. Share a recipe that calls for only one pot or pan.

This recipe is actually from Atkins, and is one of my favorites. You will also need a bowl, but you only need one skillet!

Cheese n Chili Chops

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• 4 boneless center-cut pork chops (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup tomato salsa
• 1/2 can (4.5 ounces) diced green chilies, drained
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chops with salt and pepper. Brown chops about 2 minutes per side. Combine salsa, chilies and cumin in a bowl. Pour mixture over chops. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet and simmer chops 5 minutes or until cooked through. Mix cheeses in a bowl. Divide cheese mixture over chops, cover and cook 1 minute, just until cheese melts.

Mike and I recently drove to Indianapolis to take care of some business, and took Ollie for a ride. Before driving home, we parked in my old neighborhood to take a walk and get something to eat, and I had the feeling that Ollie knew exactly where he was at. He confirmed that feeling when we walked past our old apartment building…

My sister has been living in New York City for over six months, and she’s getting super tired of playing tour guide everyone comes to town, so she’s started to recommend Family In New York for private tours of the hottest tourist attractions in New York City.

Family In New York is a true New York City tour company. They design a tour around your schedule, highlight attractions you ask to see, and pick you up from your hotel, or my sister’s apartment, to start your day of sightseeing. Your tour guide will even take your picture at any stop along the way!

If you live in an apartment building, one of the rudest things you can do is hang windchimes from your balcony.

I highly dislike the sound of windchimes, and my dislike turns into hate on breezy summer evenings when every balcony in the building is a chorus of dings, dongs, clinks, and clanks. It also seems that the people who have windchimes don’t just have one, they have a whole collection of them hanging like one big beaded curtain around their porch.

Aren’t an abundance of windchimes violating city noise ordinances? What laws would I be violating if I snuck out and duck taped all the chimes together in the middle of the night?