Updates and a Give away @ The Wonder Forest

so.... I haven't posted like anything in forever.

There's a great giveaway happening at The Wonder Forest... Go check it out :)

I had knee surgery to remove a piece of bone I broke off my kneecap. It all went so fast I can hardly believe it even happened.

Painful but I'm getting better! 5 weeks until I can walk!

Also a few weeks ago I got 2 baby hamsters. Say "hi" to Sterling (Left) and Falafel (Right)!!

Thursday Quotes

via http://1momma3boys.blogspot.com/

Beauty Wednsday: Nail art!

I recently discovered Cutepolish. She has some really creative, easy designs! I tried her Water Marble Nail Art. It worked for one nail, and then I *could not* get the rest! It was really weird but fun to see the marbling effect. If you're really patient, water marble nails are really fun to try! I then re-did my nails, like so :)

sorry, the edges are sloppy...

All you have to do, is tape off 1/3 of your nail. Paint that half, and then fill in the other with a different color. It's really cute and simple. It would look great in pastel colors!

Cute Tuesday: call duckling!

http://media.photobucket.com/image/call%20duckling/HRR352/Call%20Ducks/P1010016.jpg

Every week needs a little more cute, and this week it's an itty bitty ducky! Picture belongs to HRR352 on photobucket. I love the floofy down and the happy bill. Squee!

goodbye, Edwina.

Edwina,
You won' be forgotten. The first time I saw you, you were squirming in the feedstore man's clutches. We didn't ask for a leghorn, but you were such a wonderful mistake.  We would have never know what an amazing bird you were if there hadn't been some mistake. The last time I saw you, alive, you were trying to escape from the run so you could come say Hi to me. The final time I saw you, you were laying in the grass, sacrificed for the others. You always stood up and when the time came you protected your flock, you did one heluva job. I was so scared you were a rooster and we'd have to re-home you. Then you laid an egg and proved me so wrong! You knew just because you're the best egg layer doesn't mean you can't crow too. You were so clever and always escaped, but all while keeping an eye on the flock. You showed me what an attitude birds can have. When you were little I'd have such a time chasing you around the yard just for you to escape from the run again, but as you grew up whenever you saw a human, you were always there asking for treats and coming to greet us. You were such a sweetie and always tolerated those ridiculous neighbourhood kids. Your eggs always tasted best. The moments with you sitting on my lap were so special and I know I'm never ever going to find another hen like you, and we'll all miss you dearly. You gave your life for theirs, so thank you. You had a good 6-month life but you met a terrible end.
Visit me in a dream sometime soon, TheWhiteOne. Rest In Peace and fly high at the rainbow bridge.♥

"Nugget" was the snuggliest. Moments after this she escaped.

'Weena was always there, even when I was looking terribly un-photogenic.

Whitey was always on top of things.

"Snowy" in the garden. I hope there's a garden full of rhubarb for you in heaven.

"Foghorn Leghorn" was always the leader, despite Frederica.

I hope there's a dustbath for you in heaven, little "Fluffy".

"Edi", you had the most beautiful, understanding eyes. 

"Mr. White", you always stood up for Stitch.

You've grown, Edwina. I wish you could have grown even more after this picture was taken.

...You weren't "just a chicken", my leghorn. Rest in peace, my chicky♥

SariBlue giveaway at Wonderforest

check it out! Great stuff http://www.thewonderforest.com/2011/11/theres-nothing-evil-about-it-and.html

It hit me.

Something hit me this last week.. that when I hold my animals, I'm holding their life. When I feed them, that's the only place they're getting food.
They trust me with their lives! It's my job to make sure they have good lives.
It's a fact I wish I could show to all those people who say "Oh, my apartment doesn't allow pets". "Oh, I don't have time". "Oh, I can't afford it"

I wish they would realize that their furbabies trust them with their lives!

Do Good Things.

Since this month began, I think I've been wanting to do something.

Maybe something that would make someone happy.

Maybe something that would make me happy.

I unconsciously came up with a list of good stuff what I *want* to do this November. 

OK, don't laugh... I already feel like a dork

1.) Donate my hair 

I have ridiculously long hair and I want to donate it to a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients. Now to find what cut I want!

2.) Become vegetarian. Again.

I did it for about 10 days once. I couldn't stand the way my family acted about it, they made me feel like *I* was doing something wrong. This time, I'm going to actually do it and stick with it, screw what everyone thinks of me! Why should I kill somebody just because I'm hungry?

3.) Volunteer.

The SPCA is overflowing with animals. If I can't adopt, I should try to volunteer.

4.) Get a Job.

I desperately want a job. I thought perhaps Global Pet Foods would be a good place for me to work, but who knows. I don't know if this is what you would call "good", but my mind put it on the list.

What are some good things you have done and how did you get going?

Blogs are so distracting.

here's a photo dump. I am supposed to be doing an essay, but whatever! I suppose this is more fun...

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies (Martha Stewart)

p.s. I wish I had more followers. -.-

Smiles can brighten your day more than the sun!

Happy dog is happy :), a photo by Zoe is a fish. on Flickr.

being greeted by a smile in the morning can always make the difference between a good day vs. a bad day. even if that smile is furry with pointed teeth :D . A good day or bad day is all in your head. It just depends on your attitude. So chin up, butter cup!

I GOT MY 

POSITIVE

ATTITUDE

ON: DEAL
WITH IT :)

Prematurely Spring

it snowed on Sunday, so now it's melting of course; yuck! But hey, it feels like spring, which is quite odd because it's not winter yet!... although I HAVE gone sledding, and had a snowball fight AND took my dog dog-sledding all before Halloween. You know you're Canadian when!
I also started a flickr account. I've always like flickr. So here's some pictures from today!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69321013@N04/6303196341/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/69321013@N04/6303190555/



http://www.flickr.com/photos/69321013@N04/6303710740/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69321013@N04/6303183857/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69321013@N04/6303713134/

You know, earlier I was thinking of how sucky today was. Looking back... frig, I have it pretty darn good! The great outdoors, good friends, a nice family, a bit of cooking, and lots of pets. It's silly how there's still things I want.! Score: 1 happiness - 0 gumpiness. Also did you notice the lil blog revamp? I'm still not sure if I like it or not, but I think yes I do! It just needs some personalization.. hmm...

And a special thanks to my lovely blog followers for listening to me and looking at my photos :-) love you guys!


***I am SO sorry the pictures aren't showing up right... I guess I am still figuring out flickr! It'll come to me in a lightbulb moment. 'till that moment, please click the links :-)***

more followers...?

So, what would you like to see more of? DIY? recipes? How-to-take-care-of-animals? art? Cool finds on etsy?

I'm going to try doing "diy monday" or something like that. We'll see how it works out.

The Wonder Forest $600 GIVEAWAY!

Check out this supa awesome giveaway courtesy of The Wonder Forest!
http://www.thewonderforest.com/

The Animal Rescue League. *Adopt-A-Pet*

When I was younger, I watched Zaboomafoo. Maybe that's what grew my obsession with all things alive? ...There was a segment in each episode called the "Animal rescuers" or something like that. They took care of lost baby birds, groomed stray cats, nursed roadkill back to health. You know, all these super-hero type jobs. I always dreamed of becoming one of these. I'm pretty sure I asked my Mom how I could get on that show more than once, and I went out into the woods praying there would be an abandoned puppy crying out for me!
Alas, none such happened, obviously. I lived in a small town where all the animals were quite well-kept.
I always figured I just wasn't cut out to be part of the Animal Rescuer League. I eventually gave up and continued begging my Mom for a puppy. After years of asking, Mom said yes! so, Before we got Piper (my pup) we actually did go and look through the SPCA's selection. From my memory, there probably wasn't more than maybe 20 dogs. Most of them seniors or small yappy dogs. Nothing really suited us, and we did look through more than once! So we got Piper from our lovely breeder friend. I got my fish the from local LFS. I got my hamster (he was on dicount! Nobody wanted him)": ) from an adorable small-town pet store. I got my chickens from a reputable breeder. None of those would be considered rescues, but I guess they are better than where a lot of people get their animals.

I've always thought "rescuing" an animal was doing undercover missions in labs and freeing all the skinny pigs and rats. I've always thought it was racing into abusive pet homes and courageously ripping the animal away with a gun pointed at your head. I've always thought it was going on the side of the road and rehabilitating a run-over animal.

Nope. Lately I've realized... there are millions of animals, of different breeds, waiting for their hero, Waiting for their second chance. There's nothing special to it. Choose the Adoption Option. Don't breed and don't buy: Go to your local shelter. Must you irresponsibly breed, please do it virtually, using Pure Felinity or a similar game :( ! There is no shortage on homeless animals of any breed. In my local SPCA, they have everything from pitbulls, to hamsters to siamese kittens. If you think they don't have the animal you're looking for- oh yes they do! guinea pigs, rats, purebred dogs, rabbits, kittens of every colour.. oh, and there's more! Maybe I've never adopted a pet before, but I assure you: I am going to from now on. I see their faces and they're calling out to me!

Perhaps one day I'll have my own rescue called The Animal Rescue League: be your pet's hero.
I really hope so. Wouldn't that be wonderful.

I've added a petfinder search bar to your left. If you're looking for a new family member- why don't you do a quick search? Save a Life.


SAVE A LIFE <3

Another "first egg"!!

Courtesy of Edwina, my Leghorn pullet.. I mean HEN :)

Before she laid her egg, I heard her crowing... I was so scared she was a rooster and that we would have to get rid of her! I was nearly crying. I went online looked up 24716545172 different results for "stop rooster crowing". Most of them were "butcher it.", so I went outside to take a picture of her to compare it to Leghorn Roosters. When I was out there, fearing my lovely lady was a man....
She dispersed my worries with the most surefire way....

an egg!

Since then, we've had a carton at least half full of eggs every day! 2 eggs a day is a great number. I can't wait until Stitch and Lou start!!

habitrail OVO quick review.

I bought this used for $10:

it didn't come with the waterbottle or the wheel.


And then I bought this new for $15

the tower!

So I'm going to quickly outline what I like and dislike.

I like...
-how there is good visibility.
-how it looks, i like the colors.
-how easy the tubes are to connect
-how active my hamster is in this.
-how there is good ventilation on the "pad"
-how easy it is to clean


I do not like....
-how you need extensions for it to be an acceptable size. Could be cheaper. I have mine attached to a tank.
-how there could be better ventilation in the den/tubes
-how the tubes could have better grips
-how there is not room for a non-habitrail wheel or many toys.

Overall, I think it is a very good product. If & when I get more small animals, habitrail is surely my first choice! If you do get this cage (which you should!), to combat the very few cons, you should 1.) have more than one cage connected. 2.) clean out regularly- don't wait for it to smell!! 3.) don't have many steep tubes, you can slant them to the side so your ham doesn't fall.. 4.) get the trainer, and remove the orange wheel- this will give you more room for toys.

I really like this cage and the pro's outweigh the cons! 

Aquatic Plants

the late paludarium. It is less awesome now :'(

I'd really like to have a more natural aquarium. Mine used to be stunning, but somewhere along the way they stopped being so lush and went to just meh.. they're still ok, but just OK. So I'm now stalking AquaBid to see if there's any awesome deals on plants :) ! I love aquatic plants. They're so pretty ad natural. Plus my fishies love them and are always so much more happy with them!

Also, when/if I get more plants (♥), I am totally going to setup this betta bowl! I miss my little brother's my old betta! They are such characters, and so vibrant.

a [the] planted betta bowl.. so lush!

fish (like this RTBS!) love plants.

I've got to go now... but we're eating tilapia. Yum?

Snoopy is cute.

I can't get over it.

 I am so lucky to have this adorable little face smiling at me every morning and every night.!

When I found Snoopy I never realized how much I could bond with a 5" life form.

To the world you are just a human, to a hamster you are the world.

I love my hammie <3

OK so all that cheesiness was just an excuse to show off my cutie.... but you didn't mind, did you ;)

The Great Pumpkin Transformation part2: Pumpkin pie and Muffins

.

I've jabbered about pumpkins enough in my first post

Straight to the point this time!

For breakfast I made muffins.  They were extremely delicious!

Then, I made pumpkin pie: Using Martha Stewart's 

recipe. Oh, yes. The night before I made the crust with her Basic Pie Crust Recipe. It's very flaky, crisp and buttery- oh, and easy too. It took me about 10 extra minutes to cook it though. 

Then I whisked together some Pumpkin Pie Filling. Yum! I then baked it for 1 hour and it turned out absolutely perfectly fallesque! (Wait... is fallesque a word?)

Any-ways, I'm waiting 'till tomorrow's Sunday dinner to try it out. Pumpkin pie is best served after Sunday dinner.
Oh, wait... is it just me, or is blogging about the life of a pumpkin silly? I don't know anymore. 

Two more recipes, because, according to this this guy, a pie pumpkin will give you 3 cups of puree... I've already used over 3 cups and I'm only 1/4 done my puree! Gotta use it up.

pumpkin-swirl-cheesecake

pumpkin-bread-pudding

The Great Pumpkin Transformation part 1

ok, ok. The title is really cheesey, like a kid's book. It's the first non-monochromatic thing that came into my head! But pumpkins ARE cheesey (um...) !

Pumpkins are so magical. They can go from a big, pretty, bland, grainy fruit (vegetable??) to a luscious, rustic, rich and tasteful pie, not to mention their other 10000 uses- soup bowls, muffins, pumpkin leather, seeds, pancakes... shall I go on?
So, finally we got a pie-pumkin today for a bit over $1. YAY PUMPKIN! finally!

so picturesque. so fall. so pumpkiny.

So, first things' first: you hack that baby in half!

"No! Don't stab a knife thru me and scoop out my guts and then bake my flesh into a pie! I beg you!"

Not gonna work, Mr. Pumpkin! You're too delicious.
Once you chop him into half, you scoop his guts out (Save them for pumpkin seeds!!) 

Ever notice how a pumpkin has skin, meat, and guts?

Next, you chop it into 16th's, wrap them in tinfoil and bake for 2 hours at 350F.
Then you take it out, peel the pieces and puree them!

"Why are we making babyfood?"

Then, you do whatever you want with it! Pie, soup, muffins, cookies, squares, butters, babyfood, cupcakes petfood, whoopie pies and more- just stir it into your fave recipe!

Some Pumpkin Recipes:
soup: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/pumpkin-soup/detail.aspx
muffins: http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/10/promise-keeper-pumpkin-eater/
butters: http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/fruits/r/pumpkinbutter.htm
whoopie pies: http://www.marthastewart.com/search/apachesolr_search/pumpkin%20whoopie
cookies: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chocolate-chip-pumpkin-cookies/detail.aspx
squares: http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2009/10/crunchy-pumpkin-squares.html
cupcakes: http://www.joyofbaking.com/cupcakes/PumpkinCupcakes.html
*best for last:* PIE: http://www.marthastewart.com/338540/pumpkin-pie

Now, go get 'yerself a punkin an' make 'yerself sumpin yummay!