Andrea Mulder-Slater

by Andrea Mulder-Slater We had just picked up a "new puppy pack" from our veterinarian. Included was a chew toy, some flea medication, dog treats and a tiny sample bag of dog food. Anytime I am presented with a container - the contents of which cannot be seen - I must open it.  And so, I did. Inside the little foil bag was a handful of teeny dog food pieces, just the right size for a little puppy mouth. I grabbed a scoop to gave Max (the Westie/Papillon cross) a taste. He sniffed and then laid his head back down on my lap. We were in the car - Jan was driving and Max and I were passengers, as was the toddler  who sat, cheerfully singing, in the backseat. Heading home, I swallowed another mouthful of my ever present coffee. Several kilometers later, I was tilting my head back, sucking back the last of my drink when something hit my lip. My stomach did a flip as my brain began working overtime.  What was in that cup? Did someone from the coffee shop

by Andrea Mulder-Slater Anyone who knows me knows how much I love coffee. In fact, I love it so much I once ended up with a holter monitor strapped to my body for several days to find out the source of my "heart problems." My symptoms were frightening -  and entirely preventable. I had palpitations, a buzzy vibrating feeling in my arms, full body jitters and an impending sense of doom. "You really should cut down on the coffee," was the medical advice I received. My doctor was right. Fortunately, I became pregnant not much later and my coffee addiction was brought under control as I made a pact with myself not to imbibe any caffeine while with child. That's when my coffee painting really gained momentum. I had already been painting with coffee, literally, for a number of years but as I weaned myself off the stuff, I started not only painting with coffee, but also painting images of coffee. I also painted pictures of sweet, gooey cupcakes - but th