Friday, January 21, 2011

Strength and perseverance

I'm not sure what this one is if it isn't a finch

I love my birds

Woody woodpecker loves the suet I had just put out

Yellow finch

House finch

Junco

Tufted titmouse - I think

Female cardinal

Cardinals



Can you imagine what it takes to survive in the frigid temperatures we're having?  The sense of survival that is ingrained from birth is amazing.




Stubbornly persist, and you will find that the limits of your stubbornness go well beyond the stubbornness of your limits.  ~Robert Brault

Thursday, January 20, 2011

A variety of pictures on a snowy day



Every week night at 7 pm, the boys have reading time for 30 minutes.  After that we practice multiplication/division/math definitions for 30 minutes.  At 7:30 last night I went to tell the boys it was math time and this is what I found . . .




What a great way to go to sleep.  Dreaming the dreams that little boys dream.




School was cancelled this morning hours before the snow actually started.  I stepped out to snap a few pictures





When hubby discovered his truck wouldn't start.  He just put a new battery one it about 2 weeks ago. 





Last season's buck

This season's buck





I've learned that even though things may not always turn out the way I want, they turn out the way they should. 


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

How to be funny

I am not the funniest person in the world.  I love a good joke, I laugh at the silly dorky comedies on tv.  Right now I'm on a Everybody loves Raymond kick.  Dorky sitcoms tickle me immensely. 

It's not that I don't see the humor in things, I just usually see the irony. 

So for kicks and giggles I decided to hit the search engines for tips on being funny.  I found lots of information on the importance of avoiding stagnant jokes, avoiding all the "ism" jokes, etc.

                  "Humor is something that thrives between man's aspirations and his limitations. There is more logic in humor than in anything else. Because, you see, humor is truth." ~ Victor Borge

Then I found some great pointers on repetition.






So by now I'm getting click happy and trying to find a way to turn my seriousness into humor. 
 

 
I realized that I can't change my serious nature, so I'll stop reading all those crazy websites that tell me what I have to do to be funny.
 



Now see?  I think that is just hilarious.








*pictures courtesy of Natalie


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Count Down

Two more days . . .

and I'm headed back to school.  I'm looking forward to it.  I need the rigidity, the schedule.  I crave it.

I'm taking 16 hours this semester. 

MWF
Psychological testing
Statistics
Work Study

Tu
Stats lab
Counseling psychology
Cognitive psychology
Advanced child psychology

Th
Counseling psychology
Cognitive psychology
Work study

I usually pick up a few classes that I do note taking for other students and tutoring.  I'm hoping I can again this semester. 

My Advanced Child Psych class is a night class.  I hope I don't have to drop it.  I love the instructor and think it would be beneficial for me.  It just depends on when hubby goes back to work and if he ends up on a day or night shift.

Only 3 of my 5 classes I had to purchase text books.  $438 = 3 books.  Crazy.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Scrumptious Sunday

This cake is one I make during the holidays.  Hubby's mother made it every year and he said it doesn't seem like the holidays without it.  His sister found the recipe and I thought I would share it with you.

Orange Slice Cake

1 cup coconut
4 cups plain flour

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 lb chopped dates

1 lb orange slice candy, cut into 4-5 pieces each



Glaze

2 cups brown sugar

6 or 8 oz can frozen orange juice


Grease and flour a tube pan. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.


In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and add to the creamed mixture.



Place flour in a separate large bowl and stir in the dates, orange slices, and nuts. Stir to coat each piece. Add flour mixture and coconut to creamed mixture. Mixture will be very thick and hard to stir.



Pour batter into the tube pan. Bake for approximately 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven. Combine the orange juice and brown sugar and and heat in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Pour over hot cake. Let stand in pan overnight.



Invert onto a large cake plate. It doesn't have to be refrigerated but you can if you like.


Hubby likes to keep it refrigerated and warm up up a slice at a time.  Like traditional fruitcake, this will keep for many weeks, when refrigerated.

Ready to go into the oven

Just out of the oven

Ready to eat!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Fun Friday

I'm so glad it's Friday.  There's just something about knowing it's Friday and the weekend is here.  To celebrate Friday I thought I would share a recipe with you.

This is one of my most favorite desserts ever!  It's easy to make and never lasts long.  As a matter of fact, the first time I made it was for a family reunion.  It never made it to the reunion!  I had to make a second one.


Black Walnut Apple Cake with Lemon Butter

4 cups raw apples, chopped coarsely
2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups sifted flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup chopped black walnuts



Icing:

3 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp butter

2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp water

Combine apples and sugar and allow to stand while preparing other ingredients. Beat eggs with oil and vanilla. Sift flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Stir into the egg mixture. Add apple/sugar mixture and walnuts.




Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour. When cool, cover with lemon butter icing.



Icing:

Mix all ingredients well. If too thick, add an additional tablespoon of water. Frost the cake and enjoy.



Enjoy and happy Friday!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

For the love of birds . . .

School was cancelled at 5:30 this morning because we got about 2 inches of snow.  It's not unusual for school to be cancelled for this amount.  A lot of this area is rural and I imagine some of the school routes are likely still gravel roads.

I got out this morning and filled all the bird feeders.  I was glad I had some of my homemade suet, as the my cage feeders were empty too.  As soon as I stepped out, I saw a flutter of cardinals, juncos, finches, and blue jays.  I was hoping if I gave them a few minutes they'd come back.  I stood the cold as long as I could and managed to snap a few. 

Bluejay

Finch

Snowy dill

Snowy Rupert (Yes, that's his name!)

Finch??

Finch??

If you can identify the last two, let me know.  I think they are house finches, but not sure.

Thanks!