The Great Thaw

It's about time we get some above-freezing temps!  Lets hope for some most of these 15 inches to go bye-bye!  I am SO ready for warmer weather.  I think what annoys me the most is the nasty slush and the residue the salt leaves on everything.  I know that with melting snow comes lots and lots of mud, but I don't really care at this point.  I am SICK of the snow.

We got a new dryer.  If we are friends on Facebook, you may remember my status update a few weeks ago, complaining that my dryer was dead.  After a few weeks of doing laundry at Mike's parents' house, we finally got our new dryer!  It's nothing fancy but let me tell you, it is QUIET.  I love it.  When the delivery guys were hauling away the old, dead dryer, a little chipmunk fell out of the bottom.  Apparently the dryer wasn't the only dead thing in our basement... I know, disgusting.  I'm actually still kind of grossed out about it.

I've found my flavor of the month.  It is definitely CINNAMON!  I love that sweet little spice :o)  Folgers has a cinnamon swirl coffee that is A-MAZING.

Also, I have been itching to bake an apple pie.  I don't know why this need is taking over every thought I have.  Whenever I log onto the Internet, I immediately start googling best ever apple pie recipe.  I have never made a real fruit pie from scratch.  Anyone have a great recipe to share?  I think I'm going to make one for the babysitter for Valentine's Day.

I live in Fort Wayne.  Have you heard the buzz that Fort Wayne is getting?  Even Jimmy Kimmel had a high horse moment on the topic.  Here, see it for yourself:

Yeah, people are voting to rename Renaissance Square the Harry Baals Government Center.  I think this is completely ridiculous.  I don't care that he was the mayor.  The only reason this was suggested is because it is Harry Baals.  The only reason people are voting for it is to see if, when it wins, they actually name the building that.  Dumb.  Go here and vote on anything BUT the Harry Baals Government Center.

Have a great weekend!

Bird Seed Cakes

 Jaden was asking about the birds the other day, "Are they cold?"  "Why do they sleep in the snow?"  "Do they eat the snow?"  It got me thinking.  We feed the birds bread and popcorn all summer long.  Our faithful friends stayed with us through this harsh winter and we give them nothing!  I was going to save this project for spring but after my conversation with J, I decided to do it now!  I told Jaden we were going to make bird seed cakes!  Her reply, "Why?  Is it the bird's birthday?"

Bird Seed Cakes

Supplies:

3 c. bird seed

1 oz. gelatin

1 c. boiling water

yarn

molds/muffin tin

  

First, pour gelatin powder into boiling water and stir until completely dissolved.

Next, dump three cups of bird seed into the gelatin and stir.

Then, fill your molds!  Note: We forgot to grease our molds... You'll see why you shouldn't forget this step :o)

Next, make a loop out of yarn and stick the knot down into the cake.  Make sure the knot is completely covered with seed.

Then, let sit OVERNIGHT.  Again, we tried to speed up this step with the flower mold by putting it in the fridge so we could pop it out early.  Be patient!

THE NEXT DAY, pop out your cakes!  It's a good thing these are only for birds... Our lack of patience kind of crumbled the edges.

Last, hang your cakes outside for the birds!

This is a really fun project for kids.  A couple of things I did wrong... take note.

1. Don't add more than three cups of bird seed.  Your mixture may look a little watery.  THAT'S OK!  More gelatin = less crumbling.
2. Grease the pans!
3. Let sit overnight or longer.

Have fun!  The birds will thank you :o)

I'm linking this idea up to all of my favorite linky parties!

Houston, we have a frickin' PROBLEM

Ok, the whole wildlife sanctuary thing may have been a little funny in the beginning, but NOT ANYMORE.  Last night, I thought... I don't even know what I thought.  I was scared.  A frickin' raccoon was outside our front window.  Jude about had a blessed heart attack!!  That cat has some mad cheetah instincts, I tell you!  He was making sounds that I have never heard him make before.  He was in the front bay window and the curtains were pulled closed.  I was scared to open them for fear I might startle him and get attacked.  The weather is supposed to be GREAT this week and I want to take the girls outside.  I don't want J to get attacked by a scared raccoon living in/under our shed.  I was looking on the Web for suggestions because all anyone will tell me when I ask for serious help or advise it to grab a bat.  Sorry, bludgeoning a scared (albeit annoying) animal to death is not my style.  I also can't go the live trap route because then I'm stuck with a GD trapped live animal!  So, to the internets I go!  Here is what he told me:

Check your property regularly to make sure that screens barring entrance into your home, basement or crawlspace is intact. Lock dog and cat doors at night and place ammonia stations in front of the locked door. Regular household ammonia stations can be placed around your yard in the areas frequented by raccoons. Take a shallow dish or bowl, place a rag in it and pour ammonia over the rag until completely saturated. Place enough ammonia in the dish so the rag will continue to wick the ammonia up through the night. Avoid lawn areas, as ammonia will burn grass.

If a raccoon should establish himself under your house, place a radio near his nesting place and keep it on loud during the day. That wouldn't be annoying to the neighbors in the least bit! Locate all entrances and exits. Block them off except for one and use repellents or frightening strategies to encourage the raccoon to leave. To be certain the animal has departed, sprinkle flour at the exit and watch for footprints that lead away from the opening. When the raccoon leaves to begin his nightly hunting (usually two hours after sunset) block the remaining entrance. I'm going to look like a flippin' idiot.  People will surely talk.  What's that, you ask?  OF COURSE I will document the whole process! Duh.

The only long-term, permanent means of coping with troublesome opossums is to exclude them from areas where you do not want them. Opossums are wanderers, and if you see one in your yard, he is probably just passing through.  They favor dens on the ground, which can lead them to take up residence under decks and in crawlspaces. While female opossums spend their lives in more defined areas, the male opossum may wander continuously.

When confronted, opossums often bare their teeth and hiss. While they may look fierce, they generally are non-aggressive and shy. Rather than fight, when hard pressed they will sometimes slip into the death-feigning catatonia that we term "playing possum." The animal's system reacts automatically, throwing the brain and nervous system into a catatonic state that lowers their heartbeat and respiration. Oh, please let THIS happen to me...

Hand-sized motion detectors (usually combined with bright lights) and alarms, intended for indoor use, can be used in crawlspaces or, with proper protection from the weather, in some outdoor situations.  When an opossum is known to be denning under a porch or patio, place a radio near where the opossum is nesting and keep it on loud during the day. Seriously, no OTHER options?? When the animal leaves for her nightly foray (two hours after dark is generally a safe time), locate all entrances and exits, blocking all except one. Loosely close this last opening with netting, straw or another fibrous material than an animal trapped inside can push away, but one on the outside will be less likely to disturb to get back in. To be certain the animal has left, sprinkle flour (good grief) at the exit and watch for footprints that lead away from the opening. When you are sure the opossum is gone, securely close the opening.

So, that is where I stand right now.  Heaven help me...

Welcome to the McClure Wildlife Sanctuary

Those of you that follow me on Facebook already know that I had a frightful encounter with a opossum.  I've kept my eyes peeled but have yet to see him again.  On Saturday, we were getting ready to go to the mall and I had to go back inside to print a coupon when I see a raccoon scaling our fence!  I watched him make his way across the yard and take shelter at our shed!  We have an old dog house connected to our shed.  The previous owner of our house attached it and cut out an opening.  The opening has been boarded off BUT the door doesn't stay closed.  I've yet to check, but there may or may not be families of wildlife living in there.  *shiver*  The opossum was under the shed.  Again, I've yet to go out there and crouch down to see if there is anything actually residing under the shed... I don't want them to jump out and scratch my eyes out!

Seeing as I'm too scared to actually go out there and investigate, I'm taking volunteers!

Speaking of wildlife, here's what my girls were up to this weekend :o)

She likes to peek over the top of her crib... we play peek-a-boo :o)

Not crawling yet but doing an awful lot of "swimming"!!

Good girl reward: PLAY-DOH!

Our new babysitter: Jude

T was really eyeing those fish sticks!  This was her first ride in the shopping cart!