Epic Fail and Some More Wildlife

Aren't these lovely chocolate chip cookies?  Which I have made for 45 years, at least? 

I am still laughing. 

It's not just the fact that I forgot to leave the butter out all night to soften.... 

I FORGOT HALF THE FLOUR! 

I forgot I was using the small measuring cup... and had a good laugh

when I realized what I had done. 

However,.... I had to throw them all away and start over. 

Part of Batch Two, delivered to son Jeff this afternoon as part of his Christmas. 

Whew.  I haven't lost my mojo after all. 

Two more batches being made tomorrow, as we have the mail girl to 

gift, and the Fed Ex man who delivers Keith's weekly protein packs. 

Both great people. 

Saturday evening, after we walked the dogs, Nathan 

and I decided to go find a present for his girlfriend, Rachel. 

Rachel loves pandas.  

We went to Walmart (crazy inside) and there were NO pandas. 

We decided to walk next door to Kohls.  

Look at some of the things we saw on the way. 

Mums still blooming on December 19.  

This is a blurry picture of veronica, also blooming.  

There were at least 3 veronica plants blooming. 

Every single bush we passed had buds swelling on them. 

A crazy December! 

As it happened... we found pandas JUST INSIDE Kohls, 

for 5.00 each.  (part of their books/stuffed toys promotion). 

All the books for the pandas were gone, so 

Nathan bought two pandas for Rachel, and I found 

him a nice bag and some tissue.  

I told him to get a nice card for her and put it in the bag, and 

we also put different kinds of candy in it for her. 

His first gift for a girlfriend! 

He is saving right now for prom in April, and willingly helped me 

while he was here to earn a little money. 

Here was the little pond tonight as we went for our walk. 

The skies appear to be clearing, but wind and rain are in the forecast for the next 3 days. 

Here were the three mallard drakes and one mallard duck you can just barely see in the above picture. 

We walked at Basehor City Park, where the squirrels are still active. 

The same night we shopped, Nathan and I saw a white squirrel in Basehor, and I am 

keeping my eye out for it. 

That is not it. 

The dogs and I rounded a corner to see this hawk on a pole. 

Not a redtail, it is a Coopers.  I had to lighten the picture considerably to 

even be able to make it visible, because the lighting was so bad. 

It didn't stick around long when I stopped the car. 

Tomorrow night, Jax and Paiton stay with us, as their 

parents both have to work Christmas Eve, and 

their interim day care is closed on Thursday. 

We are trying to think of something fun to do... maybe the Chipmunks movie! 

Apres Le Weekend

Oh, Man.  We're Tired. 

Just going to show you a few pictures. 

Keith's mom and dad stayed with us Friday and Saturday night. 

Keith's Mom made a new friend. 

Jester was enamored of her! 

Carson celebrated birthday number one! 

While Keith and his parents were at the birthday party, I readied our house for our Christmas party, and I had help decorating the cookies I had made. 

Then, in the evening... we partied. 

This nap came BEFORE the party. 

(after the birthday party) 

Then, cousins Jace and Brynn got here. 

And we had sandwiches and treats and then our gift exchange. 

Today, we celebrated sweet little Brynn's 2nd birthday.  Jace had to help her blow her candles out. 

Brynn and Carson are one year and two days apart. 

Her official birthday is tomorrow. 

You knew I had to sneak a hawk picture in...  Lilly and Jester and I went for a visit to the farm after we got home from the birthday party, even though I am WIPED OUT. 

We look for this guy every day now. 

He was WAYYYY up here. 

Yes, we had another in our line of gray days, and are expecting rain tomorrow. 

I'm ending this "family post" with a picture of Paiton, and an explanation. 

We have a nativity set that is near and dear to my heart, it belonged to my parents and is over 100 year old now. 

For the last four years at the old house, it was hiding in plain sight... we could not find it, and I was unable to put it out.  We had a backup... that's what the season is about... but when we moved we found the precious set.  I'll show it to you later this week, in fact. 

So... I looked up... and Paiton had moved the little winter scene set up alongside it on the sideboard... and moved all the trees and the figures there to the front of the stable... and all the figures, animals and men, were adoring the baby Jesus. 

I did the SAME THING as a child. 

I left it just like she arranged it... it's as precious to me as the set. 

Keith and I got through this first family weekend in pretty good shape... we have one more smaller party next weekend with my son and his family, so we are on the downhill slide to the Birthday. 

I hope you are all having a great holiday season! 

Back to Reality Weather-wise

Whew, from 63 to 22 in two days!

The wind has a bite to it, and the deck rail became iced-over this morning. 

Our plans changed, and I did not go south to get Nathan, because it was drizzling and freezing further south of us.  

We will drive down together, Keith and I, on Monday, after the weather snow/sleet/rain episode of 

Saturday into Sunday. 

Hopefully, son Jim and his family will be here on Sunday to have their treats and 

get their presents. 

This beautiful handmade butterfly came from our little friend Tweedles, who has been so sick this year, but is getting better. 

Tweedles, it's going to hang on our tree for Christmas!  Thank you! 

This has been the order of the day today.  A good day to bake, it is so cold and windy. 

Keith, God bless him, is attempting to get the last two gifts after he finishes at his office. 

We are supposed to have snow/rain/sleet tomorrow. 

Can you see all the little birds on the ground under the feeder?  The crows have been here, and all manner of jays, cardinals, etc. etc..  They are all drinking on the deck, too, and I actually poured the cold water from that fortex, and put warm water in it about an hour ago.  I'll do that again when I go out to do chores in a bit. Drinkable water is so important for the wild birds. 

One last swim last night for Aflac and Donald... and then I dumped that pool about 7 PM. 

They are using fortexes today to keep clean in, and let me tell you... it's not pleasant carrying that water!  It was sheer luxury to use the hoses for three days! 

And it was good for the ducks and chickens to get down and work that hay I cleaned out of the goatyard and put into the pasture.  I also split three small pumpkins and put them out. 

This morning, we saw a squirrel hightail it across the pasture for some pumpkin seeds!

You can see by the lack of light in this picture that we lost the beautiful sunlight and warmth, and have descended again into the freezer. 

Keith has been so kind this afternoon to go do some last minute shopping, and then we are going to stay in and stay safe during the bad weather expected this weekend. 

I hope you all do the same! 

Happy Face!

Does this guy brighten your day or what? 

Granddog Shiner was glad to see me this afternoon. 

I was bringing Valentine treats to son Jim's family. 

I should have made some doggy valentines for Shiner and Jester. 

I cut up an old kitchen towel to make curtains on two of the nest boxes.  I'm curious to see if the hens like the darkness well enough that they use these boxes regularly.  Several hens have been laying in them, but I think the darkness will really attract them.  If it works, curtains are going up on the other second and top row boxes. 

As you can see, the hens in the henspa yard are very, very happy.  I throw some corn out for them every other day, and it keeps them scratching at the ground, which is also getting lots of straw thrown on it.  At some point, that straw will go on garden beds, and we'll start all over again. 

Anyone remember this good magazine?  Mary Engelbreit published it for just a few years.  I've been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, and I'm getting rid of lots of old magazines.  This one did not last long, which was a pity... it was a good one. 

This elderly white hen is still laying... and she was REALLY impatient with the black hen you can hardly see, to take her place in our nursing cage in the old henhouse.  The hens love to lay in it. 

Unfortunately, our big red boy has been sick for two weeks.  We have been dosing him daily, but it is not helping... tomorrow I'm biting the bullet and ordering expensive Tylan powder and we're going to get him cured.  (we hope).   We would really, really hate to lose this beautiful bird.  Rosie, behind him, seems to be doing fine. 

Sometimes Abs gets worn out following me back and forth! 

That's it for today from Calamity Acres! 

An Unexpected Surprise

This morning, early, as Keith got things loaded in the truck for his meeting today, the phone rang.  My phone does not ring very often, and never this early (7-ish).  I jumped and ran for the phone, which I had left on the couch last night.  

It was my son, and there was a babysitter emergency, so I needed to go get the two toddler grands, Jax and Paiton, at their babysitter's house in Bonner Springs. 

Off I went. 

We had a good day... we started at McDonalds, where they got to play at the PlayPlace.  

Then home... 

 We gathered eggs.... three times.  Whether the hens wanted us to or not. 

We only broke ONE. 

We made chocolate chip cookies, and not only did they get to mix them, they put them on the sheets. 

We walked down to the bottom of the pasture in the 75 DEGREE TEMPS to see the fox hole. 

All the birds were locked up, they are now prisoners. 

Unfortunately, seconds after this attempt at petting was made, Jackson the Turkey bit Jaxton the boy on the leg, and he will have a good bruise tomorrow.  Jackson waited until we had gone through the gate and were leaving the henyard.  We are going to be very careful of him in the future.  Thankfully, there were very short tears, and a vow to "not go in there with that big one again"... however, Paiton was very frightened, and would not go near the chickens the rest of the day. 

We walked over to see Troy and Kathy's pond, but it is almost gone.  It is 15 feet deep at it's deepest, and there is not much left of it. 

Then they got their picture taken by the big maple tree in the front yard.  You see how grand the trunk is... it will be a loss someday when this great tree goes. 

We had a great day, and the dogs love these two, but they are also stressed out.  We're all going to sleep well tonight! 

Our weatherman says storms are coming in the wind, and it will only go down to the fifties tonight.  We hope this doesn't mean another year of drought. 

Thank you all for your kind words last night on the blog, we appreciate them, each and every one. 

Sadness and Cookies

Sadness this morning for several reasons in Blog World.  

Leontien Vandelaar lost her fight against cancer yesterday at noon, surrounded by loving family.  Leontien, as some of you know, emigrated from Holland, and, with her husband Bastiaan, worked at a huge dairy in Indiana.  Her blog is here.  You may also remember that bloggers united to send "Flowers to Leontien" and "Leaves to Leontien" last year, and she wrote in November how it made her feel to know that everyone was pulling for her.  A beautiful young woman, gone to her Maker too soon.  I hope everyone can stop and say a prayer for her family today. 

And one of our side-bar bloggers, Kerin, at "Always Fixin', Never Sittin'" has announced yesterday her decision to stop blogging.  She has had two lovely blogs, and did stop once before, last year.  How I will miss her posts... I suspected this was coming again, as she had stopped posting regularly.  She did come up against the dread Blogger freeze, but I am not sure knew that downloading Google Chrome or using Firefox would have solved it.  Her "Attitude of Gratitude" made me stop daily to say a thank you for my blessings.  Kerin, we will miss you! 

And speaking of the Google changes.... I find that since switching to Chrome to do my posts, they move along at the speed of light!  No more sitting here, waiting for things to load.  I am so very grateful to everyone who gave me the information to move things along. 

Today we were told that the temps would get up to the high sixties, after yesterday's rain.  Right now, at 2:19 PM as I type this, it's 57 degrees out. My plans of opening windows and airing the house out did not work out.  It is also very gray out, and looks like more rain. 

Keith has gone to Salina for a meeting, so I am "batching it" today. 

Two years ago, I bought this from my sister in law, and put it on a shelf in the laundry room, and NEVER USED IT.  

I was intimidated, and I'm not kidding. 

So, all along, I've been using a 20 year old hand mixer. 

Four days ago, I got this out and thoroughly cleaned it.  Then, I let it sit on the sink all week while I studied it and was very sick on Wednesday, the day I had planned to bake.  

I had to figure out how to raise and lower it, etc., because I got no book with it, and also, how to put the attachments on. 

My gosh, I was stunned at it's ease of use. 

Here's what I was making.  Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies... look how big they are! 

You can find the recipe here from the Brown Eyed Baker. 

Keith will be surprised when he gets home.  Someone else ate one, though, when I turned my back.  And she wanted more....

While I made the cookies (most of which will be going to son Jim's family tonight or tomorrow morning), 

I had soup cooking on the stove.  I have become very adept at using small amounts of meat left from meals to start soup or stew batches.  We are trying very hard to cut down on large amounts of meat, and eating more vegetables and fruits.  I had maybe an ounce or two of meat left from our Swiss steak meal the other night, and made soup with it and plenty of vegetables, and that was my lunch. 

We had a sourdough boule of bread with our dinner last night, and I had a piece off of it with my soup.  Now the soup is on low, and I'll have another bowl at dinner time.  Keith will be back fairly late, and I'm thinking a small bowl of soup might just satisfy him if he's hungry when he gets there.

Here's Lilly this morning, laying out in the yard and intimidating the squirrels from eating at our feeders. 

This pretty girl cracks me up! (and as of 2:43, she's back in the same place!)