The Turkeys Are Out

Obviously this is from a while ago - no, we do not have snow on the ground any more. But I found the pics on my phone and had to share!

The neighbor toward the edge of town has some game birds, I assume these escapees belong over there.

Cats...

Sidda

We have three cats. The eldest, Sidda, we got when he was just a little kitten, and we were starting our relationship. We took that first big step and moved in together, then the next big step was Sidda.

Sidda has anxiety. We've worked with animal behaviorists, veterinarians, tried everything. And while we're not a rowdy household, we're not a quiet one either. Medication helps, if nothing else it gets his heart rate down to something more normal instead of the 180-200bpm at rest when unmedicated. Hubby and I have finally had the discussion of whether it's in Sid's best interests to stay with us, trying to separate our feelings from the issue and looking at his needs.

We've had him for 10 years, but we think maybe, as much as we love him and he loves us, he might be better off with a retiree or someone who's home and can sit around petting him in a quiet living room all day.

I think we may have found him a new home. I've been emailing with a gentleman and his wife, learning more about their home and telling them more about Sid and our home. This has to be one of the hardest decisions we've ever made, but I know in my gut it's right. He deserves quiet and peace in his last few years as well as love.

Bacon Egg Cups

Oh my yumminess. And so easy.

They taste better than they look. Unless you think they look holy-amazeballs, then yes, you're spot on.

Ingredients:
12 slices bacon
10ish eggs

Splash of milk (optional)
Salt, pepper, spices to taste
Suggested (some or all): minced onion, garlic, basil, oregano

• Preheat your oven to 350 deg F.
• Line an ungreased muffin tin with bacon (see below).
• Zing up the eggs, milk, and spices in a blender, or whisk it really well. You're going for a scrambled eggs/omelet mixture here.
• Pour the egg mixture into the bacon lined cups, up to 1/4-1/2" from the top.
• Bake at 350 deg F for 30-35 minutes.

Done! Pop them out while they're hot/warm, the bacon self-greases so clean-up is a breeze. No frying pans or getting zapped by grease spray.

No, these are not low fat, but they're Atkins friendly (if you use cream instead of milk).

Superhero Big Boy Underpants

Big boy underpants are even more awesome when they're Superhero underpants. Because even Green Lantern goes potty.

Front Entry Makeover!

Man, this was overdue.

Before:

These belong curbside, not on a house! And that bare bulb...

After!!!

A new light, house numbers, and an appropriately sized mailbox. What a world of difference!

I spray painted a 1'x2' board with a hammered metal finish, then hand painted the house numbers, and mounted the mailbox directly on the board. I just printed out big numbers, and cut them out to make a stencil that I traced on the board. Cheap and pretty!

The light fixture is my favorite part though. It's an $85 fixture that I got for $20 since it was a return with a damaged box. It's been waiting for two years for me to get up the courage to rewire a light - and after doing it I'm laughing at myself for waiting this long. It wasn't easy per se, but it wasn't as difficult as I'd assumed.

And isn't that a gorgeous result?

Less than $50 total - $20ish for the light, $25 for the mailbox, and a few new light bulbs. The rest I had in my stash. Oh, and the wreath? I made that from vines in the back yard, some gold spray paint, and a bit of old pant leg.

Cowboy Hat!

It's a good day to be a cowboy with a green hat. :)

Magnetic Grocery List

Sometimes the charities that send endless amounts of address labels send other random things - like this grocery pad. I glued a magnet to the back, glued a magnet to a pen, and now I have a conveniently located grocery list right on the fridge. How's that for an easy, cheap, five minute fix?