Molly the Owl

Have you heard about Molly?

 

Molly taking a break from her motherly duty!

She is a wild female barn owl, also known as a screech owl. If you are even a little bit interested in birds you should check it out. Molly is waiting for her five eggs to hatch. The big event is happening in San Marcos, California. She is in an owl box that was built and placed 15 feet above ground with a live cam inside. 

They are expecting that any time the first owlet will start tapping on the egg until it breaks through and makes a small hole in the shell. That is when the owlet takes it's first breath. It takes them about 20 hours to finally make it out of the egg, so that is many hours of entertainment when you times that by five! 

McGee, her mate, comes and goes, usually at night, and brings her food. She stands up fairly often and moves her eggs around, which gives us lots of time to check out the eggs and see what's going on under there!

From time to time, the man that is behind all of this, comes on and does live chats with those that are watching live. Today (Friday) he was live from 12:30 - 2:00pm. You can type in any questions you have and he answers as many as he can. He gives lots of interesting information. He believes that this is her first time as a mother. He said when she dropped her first egg, she didn't seem to know what to do with it. She's doing a great job now!

I have kept the blog on all day for the past two days and there is a lot going on in there. My dogs aren't sure what is happening with all the bird noises in the house.

I'm sure that to some of you this sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry, but the rest of you should check it out and share Molly with your friends!

Below is the link for the live cam.

Live Owl Box Cam

Today is the first day of Spring!!
Yeah!

A Day with Misty

Our beautiful niece, Misty, came for a visit recently. We all love Misty and get really happy when she arrives!!

She is one of the most amazing young ladies that I know. There aren't many 21-year olds that have spent their vacation time at a camp for kids with physical disabilities. She graduated magna cum laude last year, while holding down a full-time job. More than those accomplishments (plus many more), she is a kind, caring and all-around amazing young lady.

Our day started out with a jolt, I mean a real jolt. We had an earthquake and Misty slept right through it. Good for her!

 

We spent the rest of the day having fun!

The boys absolutely adore Misty and they have a great time playing together!

 Wiley trying to take Ivan for a ride in the wagon

Mommy fixing the wagon handle so that it would be easier to pull.

Ivan waving to his fans!

Misty and Wiley took a little time to ponder life and it's complexities.

 Ivan had fun pushing the shopping cart around the yard.

After several hours of playing, running, fixing, laying down, swinging, it was time to cool down a little. We decided to head out to get some frozen yogurt. Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, to be exact! With temps in the mid 80's, we weren't the only ones with that idea. The place was packed.

Misty

Wiley is enjoying his yogurt

 Ivan can't quite reach

 Wiley found one last bite

Before she left town, I baked some of her favorite cookies to take home with her. I know how much she loves them and I try to make them for her just about every time she comes for a visit. It is really fun to bake for such an appreciative and enthusiastic recipient!!

I made plenty so she could freeze them and enjoy them longer.

Here is the recipe for Misty's Favorite Cookies.

Enjoy!

Birthday Monkey's

There was a big party planned for Ivan's first birthday, with friends, family and kids! Unfortunately, Ivan came down with an ear infection and we had to cancel his party. Before the party was canceled, I had already made the treats for the kids.

Monkey Cupcakes!

I thought they were really cute.

I got the idea from this cookbook, The Cupcake Doctor.  They were banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. I heard that they were very good!

Fortunately, these monkeys found a home. I put them in treat bags and Wiley and his mom delivered them to their friends.

The cake for the adults was already baked also, so I quickly assembled it and sent it away to a new home. The cake was called Best Ever Banana Cake.  and I frosted it with Whipped Cream Frosting. For the whipped cream frosting, I add the teaspoon of unflavored gelatin to 1 tablespoon of warm water and stir until dissolved. I then pour that mixture into the un-whipped cream and start mixing it on medium speed. This has worked perfectly every time.

I split the cake in half horizontally, creating two layers. I covered the bottom layer with Coronado Cajeta Quemada, and then a layer of sliced bananas topped with whipped cream frosting. I then replaced the top layer and covered the top and sides with remaining whipped cream frosting. I added the bananas on top as the finishing touch.

Yes, I do realize that the bananas were unevenly cut and some of the were turning brown, even though they had all been dipped in lemon juice. But I was in a hurry. I usually take my time and put the whipped cream frosting in an icing bag with a great tip, and make it look much better than this one. Even though it didn't look very special, I got some great reviews on this cake!

This is now my go-to Banana Cake recipe! 

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Ivan!

Dearest Ivan,

We have loved you from the moment we heard that your mommy was carrying you. It seemed to take forever, but when you arrived, we loved you even more!

The day you were born, Gramma and Grandpa Smith and Gramma and Grandpa Lytle were waiting in the hallways with your brother, Wiley...waiting to hear that you had been born.

 This was our first peak of you. 
Your Daddy and the nurse were taking you to the nursery.

 You and your beautiful Mommy!

Your Daddy loves you!

 Grandpa Lytle is holding you for the first time.

 Wiley was giving you some loves

 

 While you were busy growing, Wiley was busy playing!

Our Sweet Little Ivan

You were enjoying Wiley's 2nd Birthday Party with your Grammas

Look at that big boy, now you are sitting up!

 

 And now you want to stand up tall!

 

You and Wiley sharing a special moment

 

 Look at all that personality coming out, and all that hair!

You're getting pretty brave, Ivan! 

Playing with Wiley's zoo animals while he is at school!

 What a big boy the day before your first Birthday!

  Our birthday boy!

 For a special birthday treat, you and Grandpa Smith are featured in the newspaper as our special little Leprechaun, 

born on St. Patricks Day, one year ago today!

Thanks Gramma, Barb!

http://www.insidesocal.com/readerpage/ 

Everybody loves Sweet 1-year old Ivan!
Your mommy and daddy,
Your big brother, Wiley,
Your gramma's and papa's

Your uncles and your aunts,

Your cousins by the dozens!

Thank you for all the smiles and happiness that you have

brought to us this past year.

Happy Birthday, Ivan!

We Love You Ivan!

What's Been Cooking in Oregon

What's Been Cooking In Oregon, by Jo Ann Blanchard and Kathleen Hansen, is one of the first cookbook that my sister-in-law, Deanna, gave to me. This cookbook has always been very special to me, not only because of the good recipes, but because Deanna gave it to me. If you are interested in purchasing this cookbook, follow this link.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Whats-Been-Cooking-in-Oregon/Jo-Ann-Blanchard/e/9780961015640

Here are four of my favorite recipes from this cookbook. The first one is for Corn Chowder. I have been asked for this recipe many times through the years. Everyone that has tasted it has asked me for the recipe.

This cookbook also has three other versions of Chowder, using the Basic White Sauce as the base. Included here are recipes for Clam Chowder, Turkey Chowder and Vegetable Chowder.

The second recipe is for Pocket Bread. I thought it would be hard to make, but it was very easy and tasted better than what you can buy in the store.

This Austrian Pastry tastes like something you would buy at a great bakery, only better!

This is a really great Playdough recipe. I made it many times for my kids when they were young.

When the kids get a little older, this Salt Clay is easy to make and kids have lots of fun making things with it. It hardens with the air and you don't have to dry it in the oven.

Enjoy!

Blog Surfing Sunday

Sometimes I like to relax and check out other peoples blogs. I especially enjoy looking at other peoples recipes. Here are a few I would like to try and thought you might enjoy seeing too.

Have you ever ate a chocolate chip cookie and thought, "This would be perfect if it had candied bacon in it!" If your answer is yes, Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy has a recipe you might want to try.

http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2010/02/17/candied-bacon-chocolate-chunk-cookies/

Always Eat on the Good China has a recipe for "Sin in a Cup." You can make it in your microwave in 3 minutes. It might tempt you if I told you it's Chocolate.

http://www.alwayseatonthegoodchina.com/2010/03/chocolate-sin-in-cup.html

Cookie Baker Lynn has a recipe for a little something green to make for St. Patrick's Day. You might want to look at this.

http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/2010/03/green-equals-mint.html

If you like Cardamom, Food Blogga has a recipe that sounds interesting. Check out her recipe at:

http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2010/03/cardamom-is-captivating-recipe-for.html

I'm always looking for healthier versions of things I like to bake, like muffins and scones. Home Cooking in Montana has my kind of recipe right here:

http://homecookinginmontana.blogspot.com/2010/03/healthier-banana-muffins.html

Are you interested in more information about different types of cocoa? You will find a very interesting and informative post about Cocoa from David Lebovitz, which can be found here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2010/02/cocoa_powder_faq_dutch-process_v.html#more

Now after looking at all of these recipes, a little something extra to keep us all on the straight and narrow! Take a look and see here: http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

Pi or Pie Day, Your choice!

In honor of Pi Day, how about some of our families favorite pie recipes.

The pies that are requested the most at our house are Lemon Meringue Pie and Sour Cream Lemon. I have been making these for over 25 years. The original recipe came from Mayville Lutheran ALCW Centennial Issue Cookbook, circa 1881-1981.

My mother-in-law bought this cookbook for me to add to my collection back in 1981/82, while she was on a trip to North Dakota. She was visiting her brother and sister-in-law, Everett and Goodie Paulsen, her aunt Emma Larson and other relatives that still lived in that area.

 
As you can see, this cookbook has been used many times through the years, especially the Lemon Meringue Pie page. Many thanks to those ladies that shared their recipes in this great cookbook.

This is the Sour Cream Lemon Pie recipe. It is an adaptation from my Lemon Meringue Pie recipe.

OK, I do realize that Pi Day isn't about the sweet kind of pie that you eat. I do realize that it is a nerdy holiday celebrated by math geeks all around the world. I also know that Pi, approx. 3.14159, is a number that represents the ratio of any circles circumference to it's diameter. Did you notice that today is 3/14, same first 3 numbers of Pi?

Alright, I cheated. I Googled it and found that information here: http://www.squidoo.com/PiDay if you are interested.

Have a happy Pi or Pie day, your choice!