Adrenal Gland Disease

Last night I was checking on my ferrets, looking them over, cleaning their cage, etc and noticed my oldest ferret is losing her hair from the base of her tail going up her spine. This is one of the first symptoms of adrenal gland disease. (If you have a ferret you should know about this disease, it is very common.) I knew what it was as soon as I seen it. That was one of my biggest worries when I started rescuing ferrets years ago. Yesterday it became a reality. Those of us who have ferrets and other exotic animals know that when one has a disease or needs a check up it is hard to find a vet that knows what they are talking about. A vet that is formally trained in exotic care ans surgeries. I have had bad experiences with the vets I have tried for my Chinchilla and rabbit in the past. So I am hoping I found a vet that knows what he is doing and is very knowledgeable this time. I thought I had in the past and even had referrals to those vets. So I pray this time everything turns out ok. So as strange as it may sound to some, but not to all.. Please pray for my Sade to have a safe surgery and recovery. Thanks Everyone. (I will post pictures of her soon. (The picture below shows some of her hair loss. sorry I forgot to turn off the flash.)

UPDATE: Sade has surgery on Jan 30, 08 to remove her adrenal gland. They said she has a good chance of a full recovery. Her age is really their only worry right now. Lets just hope that it is her left gland affected. The right is alot more complicated.

My New Waffle Maker

We got a new waffle maker and finally got to use it a couple days ago. I made plain waffles and blueberry waffles for J. They were yummy but Next time I think I am going to try either buckwheat or flax seed, or apple Cinnamon.

Christmas Gatherings & Gifts

We are normally invited to 6 family gathers all in 3 days every Christmas. 3 on "J"s side and 2 on mine. We only went to 4 this year. First (not counted in the above gatherings) J & I decided to do Christmas at our house on the 22nd I think. It was nice J gave me VwaV, Vegan Deli, a cake rotate plate, new stackable cooling racks, kitchen aid hand chopper, a new hair iron, captivity, Veronica mars season 3 and other cooking stuff. "J" received (on this day) (His b-day is on the 20th so he gets alot around this time of year, I made him an mint ice cream cake with chocolate cake. Sorry I didn't get pictures of any of that.) anyways this day he received a trimmer, Shave gel warmer, God of war 2 PS2, Smallville season 6, Live free die hard, some other movies, and a couple other things. The next morning the 22nd was the first gathering with my parents to do the gift exchanging. It turned out really nice "C" made out with tons of stuff. "J" finally got his present he had been wanting for ever. .... A bow... No he does not hunt. Just for target shooting. Plus he got a target, storage case, arrows, some small stuff for his bow. My mom got my dad a limited edition Cadillac Guitar ( My dad loves Cadillacs. He owns 3.) J & I gave him a new winter coat, some slippers, a couple other things. Dad bought mom a new computer screen and a bunch of other things. J & I gave her a giant starbucks mug, key board, shirt, and various other things. I finally got Veganomican ( Sorry spelling wrong)!!!! and Gilmore girls season 7. Everyone had a good day I know a bunch of blabbing on and on about presents sorry. But as everyone should know Christmas isn't just about presents. So celebrate but remember what you are celebrating! That evening we went to "J"s families for the present exchange. We were there for s few hours it was nice to see everyone. Christmas eve we were at J"s families again for dinner. They had finger food this year so we got to fill up on veggie & picked stuff trays. Thats ok with me though. I would rather know what I am eating then guessing what goes in my mouth. There were tons of people there. Christmas we went to my Grandparents house for dinner. It was a nice time as well. They live about 2 hours away so we don't visit them as much as we should so I is nice when we do go there. Ok I think I am done blabbing here are some pictures.














Amy's Chick pea Curry. peas, & rice. At my grandparents house. After that we also ate sweet potatoes, roles, & mashed potatoes.


Organic Cat nip candy canes for the kitties. All the animals got spoiled even more this year. The cats got a new cat house, 3 fishy toys, a mouse toy, 6 candy canes, a bird toy that chirps ( pictured to coppers left), a tunnel toy, and tons of other toys. The Dogs got tons of chew toys, 6 stuffed animals, dog beds, etc. The ferrets got bell toys, and Schookies the Chin got apple tree sticks. It was a good Christmas. We were very lucky we had the means to do this this year. This coming year it is time for a debt diet... :( But thats ok. Christmas was very nice this year. Visiting with everyone was great. Merry Christmas everyone.. I know I am a little late but I have been so so busy. So please forgive me.

Kindergarten Christmas Party

We cooked and cooked cookies. Dozens of them. We also made popcorn balls. I only got a couple pictures of them though. We worked up till right before we were do at the school so not many pictures of food. Here are some of the ones I have. We made sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, Chocolate chip, orange cranberry bread, popcorn balls & I also made a peanut butter oatmeal that we didn't like. We made big and little cookies & iced and not iced. They also had PB& J Sammies, chips, apple juice. Candy, Candy, & more candy. I know sad pictures sorry thats the only ones. Of food anyway.

The rest of the party went over well and I am waiting for someone else to send me pictures because I was way to busy to take any. So I will post them later.

I had a bunch of games planned. Candy Cane golf, Present bowling, a bean bag toss, Hop the tree, Pen the star of the tree, a scratchable ornament, a letter find, hot potato (with a wrapped package), a snow ball dig, puzzles, & coloring sheets. We didn't get to play all of them because we ran out of time but it was so fun. I was the class leader for the time we were there and by the time we left I almost had no voice left. All the kids were great and I Love working with the kids so I had a great time as well.

Picking recipes for the Christmas Celebrations & more flood Warnings

Today I decided me work on some cookie recipes that I would like to make for Christmas. So I made a couple that I have been wanting to try. They all turned out really yummy.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from PPK. These turned out really good. My mother loved them. I thought the nutmeg was a little to much. But they were really tasty.

Orange Cranberry Bread

This is more like the texture of a muffin/ corn bread mix. Atleast I think so. "J" Said they don't remind him of corn bread at all. So who knows? "J" Loved this bread. I made small loafs that cooked for about 30min. 1 Big loaf needs to cook for about and Hour. Next time I will make these as morning muffins. They are light and tasty with a citrus kick in the back.
Pre Heat oven to 375F
2 Cup flour
1 Cup Sugar
1/2tsp Salt
1 1/2tsp Baking powder
1/2tsp Baking soda
2Tbsp Canola oil
1/4 cup Water
1/2Cup Orange juice (no sugar added)
1/2 Tbsp Orange Zest
ENER G Egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg
1 Cup cranberries

Grease your pans.
Mix all dry except Sugar. In a separate bowl mix all wet. Mix together in batches.


Ginger Bread cookies as bad as it sounds I have never made them before. I don't think I have even had one to eat so I decided to make some. I was also trying out this recipe for "C"s school Christmas party that is next Thursday. They turned out great. This recipe is also from PPK. My cookie cutter makes gingie look very fat. I will have to find a traditional cutter. I think they are much cuter.
I will have a busy week this week but I should post a couple more cookie experiments. Some for "C"s party and some for family gatherings which is were I am taking the Orange Cranberry "Bread" & Pumpkin oatmeal cookies.

On a lower note we have flood warnings again. This has been awful. The other day I made the mistake of complaining because I still don't have flood insurance and then telling "J" we should not worry about it till next February thru June when we start getting rain. Well 2 days later and I ate my words for that. So I guess I jinxed myself. Stupid me. Anyways so again tonight I will probably be up all night watching the creek hoping it doesn't fluid. Awful. Who knows maybe I will get some cleaning done in the process. I also have to finish the Christmas party games. So I guess I better get with it. I will post again soon.

We made it...! The flood waters have dropped.

For a while we wondered if we were going to be ok. It was a long morning. In 45 min our small creek came up 5 or 6 feet up the creek bank. Then it kept going up....! 1st picture is my normally calm back yard. The Tree is about 10 feet out in my yard.

This picture is my back porch steps which is about 12 feet away from the tree.

This is my neighbors house and the road in front of it and my front yard.

This is my back yard and my moms back yard behind her garage. Over to the right is our building. We were very lucky it stopped raising before it messed up anything in the building. It only had about another half inch. I grew up with this creek and I am used to it raising so I really didn't get to upset. Plus you know what? As long as my family, Friends, & animals are safe, I am good. But I just thought I would share my day with everyone. We got off lucky this time.

This is another view of our back yard on the other side of the porch.

Nothing new

I have been very uninspired lately. I have seen a couple of things I could try to make but I am really looking for a Vegan Brownie recipe that is very chocolaty like non-vegan boxed brownies. I miss them. I stopped cooking with eggs and don't worry brownie cravings will not turn me back. But I would really like to find a recipe. So yesterday I really did not have any food to blog about. So I will leave you with a picture of my snack yesterday. Nothing exciting though just Rye Crackers, Peanut butter, & bananas.

Well actually thinking about inspiration. Maybe I will feel inspired today for the brownies sake. Who knows. Although we have flood warnings out today. And it is looking a little threatening right now. It is raising pretty fast I will try to get some pictures. I will update later. I have to go get everything out of my yard before the creek gets it. Be back soon...

Broccoli Chedda Soup (Not Vegan)

"J" has been wanting Cheddar Broccoli soup so I finally made some. It was again a very simple recipe. I will post it later. But for now here is a picture.

Pumpkin Cookies & Vegan Brownies-LaDaV

Tonight I decided to do a little baking so I grabbed La dolce Vegan and Made 2 recipes that I was wanting to try. They were easy and fast.

I made Wolfie's Chocolaty Moist Brownies PG 211 & Pumpkin Puff Cookies PG 224 although they both turned out ok I wasn't a big fan of either. When I think of brownies I want a deep chocolate taste. These remind me of cake. Even the texture was cake like. But they are super moist. The Pumpkin puff cookies taste good but they are a little chewy and stuck to the cookie sheet that nothing sticks to. But I might have caused both problems because I was trying to make them fast and left out the butter..... oops... Thats just like me though. I told my husband I'm going to start measuring and laying everything out before I even start adding stuff. I am always messing up some how.

The rest of the day was left to grocery shopping (forgot the Vanilla) & a birthday party for two of my nephews. So we had a nice day.. Picture #1 "DH" with his B-day Cake, Picture #2 "CK" with his present, and the 3rd picture is "CH" which is "DH"s brother. He was kept occupied with a dancing dog stocking while the B-day boys opened their gifts.

Christmas Parade & a visit with Santa

( My lil sis, my nephews, "J", and my nephews Nanny)

Well after rushing through shopping we came home and put up lights for the parade. The parade was ok. We had 2 bands and a lot of fire engines. They had a contest for the best decorated. One of them even played "I want a hippo for Christmas". The kids liked it except for "D" and he is afraid of fire trucks. Then we waited in line for probably 30 min to let the kids see Santa. But it was a nice day. Sorry no food. Just the parade.

Nothing Big

Left over whole wheat pasta & diced tomatoes. Something quick and simple on a lazy day.

Soup

I made a soup today. I love soup its easy to make and it good especially on a cold day. I was watching Racheal Ray this morning and seen this soup called "Rock soup" and decided I would make something like it. So here is my recipe for the day.

Veggie Soup of the Day
Potatoes ( a couple depending on the size and how much you like potatoes)
3 Carrots
5 Celery Stalks
2 Gloves Garlic
1 or 2 White onions diced
1 Can Chick peas
1 Can diced Tomatoes
Paprika ( Palm full) For a smoky flavor ( I didn't have enough :( )
Hot sauce to taste (I used chipolte)
1 Box of No- Chik Broth
Olive oil
Croutons of Crusty bread to make croutons.
*I also had veggie smoked Boca sausage in it. But I didn't like it. So I would skip it if I was you.

Put a couple Tablespoons Olive in in pan and warm. Chop the Potatoes, Onions, Celery, & Carrots through in the pot. Put the paprika, garlic and hot sauce and let the veggies cook down some. (Any others veggies you want fill free to throw in. Its all up to what you like.) After the veggies have cooked down put the Can of Chick peas, Tomatoes, and the No- Chik broth. Let it boil till the veggies are soft and you are ready to eat. Add the croutons and it makes it kind of creamy. I like creamy soups better. But this one was pretty good. I also like the crunch of the croutons so I keep some for the top. Enjoy....

SNOW!

(Pictured: the road in front of my home.)

Like I have said before I am not one much for cold weather or snow really. But today we got the first significant amount this year. We was supposed to have 2 to 3 in. But we received about 8 inches. So it was a snowy day. The roads were not treated so "J" (He is a delivery driver for a local company that goes from WV to PA & Maryland.) did not get in till late. He had to drive to Maryland today and he always leaves at around 4 am but tonight he didn't get home till 8:30pm because the roads were atrocious. I know not one Road plow came through today. They cancelled school so of course they didn't treat the roads. And I get to sleep in tomorrow morning too. No school again. So I don't have to take "C" there. :) Its not a big deal anyways but I love to sleep in.

I went shopping for "J"s B-day yesterday when we started getting snow. It was so cold but I love to shop so it didn't slow me down. But again I have no food to blog about. sorry.... I will try to catch up soon on the food blogs.

PS. The cats knocked over the Christmas tree this morning!!!!!!! They were doing so good. Only a couple wrapped presents had been messed up.. But this morning they let the tree have it. I don't know exactly who did it but lets just say I woke up to a big bang. So when a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound? I know Christmas trees being chopped down by the cats do! Even if I want to sleep through a snow day.... lol

Christmas Tree... Oh... Christmas Tree...

This is the first time "J" and I have had a big Christmas tree since our first year being married. The 2nd year he was deployed in Iraq, 3rd year we got a small tree because "J" didnt want to dig ours out of storage, and this year finally our tree has returned. So I was really excited to put it up. With 5 cats I don't normally put any tree up this early but I had to. So it went up on the 1st of December. Luckily it is still standing and has not been knocked over once in 2 days. (Knock on wood). But they of course had to help put it up. It is was their excitement for the evening. So here are a couple pictures to show all their fun.

Ok so maybe it wasn't all kinds of excitement. But they really did have fun. Even Romeo was in on it even though I never caught him in my pictures. And as everyone can see Copper is the town peoples worst enemy! He will take them all out 1 paw swipe at a time! But this is our 2007 Christmas Tree.