Is it still winter?!

Well, Spring is about a week and a half away but with all the snow we have it feels like it will take forever to melt!  I have been busy with my guinea pig as he broke his front teeth off :/ How he did it I have no idea but he was miserable and unable to eat for a while.  He's doing better though and you can see that he is having a good time playing with my husband's dog!

He just loves her, I don't understand what it is but he chases the dog around and tries to get her to chase him back.  I'm not sure if it has to do with their coloring being the same or if my guinea pig is convinced he is a dog?

He is actually nibbling on this dog toy with her so maybe he does think he is a dog?

Well, here he is in his own little dog bed, I figured why fight it, right?
I just love critters, all kinds of critters and I'm especially a big sucker for a furry face!  Here's my dog, she is going to be 15 this year and she is probably one of the most spoiled dogs around!

And yes, I did knit that hooded sweater for her! LOL!

 

But how could I resist that adorable face?

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, last night me and the girls got together to make some Valentine's Day treats for our guys!  It was a lot of fun dancing around the kitchen making a huge mess!  We wanted to make several items that were easy and fun and wouldn't take forever.  So what did we make???

The first item was Strawberry fudge!  Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it?  Well, it wasn't, it was 2 ingredients and didn't require a candy thermometer-even better!  I'll post the recipe at the bottom!

Next we made these fun cake balls although we forgot sticks to put them on so we opted for some very nice candy papers I already had.

We all had fun decorating these!  Sounds very time consuming right?  Nope, the cake balls were already made-stay tuned for the recipe!

Next we made some cut out cookies, these were the most time consuming but we all had fun decorating them!

 

So as you can see we had a lot of fun last night!  Don't be chicken, try them yourself!

Here are the recipes:


Strawberry Fudge

1 bag of white chocolate chips
1 container of Strawberry Frosting

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, remove from heat and stir in the container of frosting.  Pour into a greased baking dish and decorate the top with sprinkles etc.  Refrigerate until firm, cut with a sharp knife dipped in hot water.

Cake Balls/Pops

1 doz. donut holes
1 bag white chocolate chips or candy coat or almond bark
1 bag of chocolate chips
1 pkg sticks for candy making (available at Michaels)

Melt coatings in a double boiler, dip sticks in the coating and poke 2/3 of the way down into donut hole.  Let set in the freezer for 5 minutes.  Remelt your coatings in double boiler being careful not to over cook them or they will start to crystalize or scorch.  Dip donut holes, shake off excess by tapping on the side of the boiler and place the sticks in a piece of styrofoam with holes poked in it.  A box will work also or place the donut down onto wax paper like a small taffy apple.  Decorate immediately while the coating is still wet.  Let set.

Valentine Cookies

1 1/4 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbs butter softened
2/3 C packed light brown sugar
1 large egg

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix butter, egg and sugar.  Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix. Knead until it forms a dough. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 1/2 an hour.   Cut dough in half and roll out on a well floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Bake @ 350 degrees until edges are lightly browned, approximately 12-15 minutes.  Let cool before decorating.

It is a long, cold, winter here in Minnesnowta!

I haven't posted in ages!  I don't know about you but I'm getting super antsy for Spring this year!  Maybe it is because it has been so cold.  Maybe it's because I have the urge to go camping.  Maybe it's because I just want to travel.  Well, whatever the reason, I am getting really antsy for outdoor activities that don't actually require me to go outdoors in the winter!  So, I won't be doing any skiing, snow boarding, or ice fishing this winter!  Well, what can I do instead?  Here's something fun and interesting....

"Wait a minute!  What the?  Are you panning for gold inside?"  Why, yes I am!

 

How is this possible?  Easy!  You can buy just about anything online and these supplies are super cheap!

Yes, yes, it's true!  I paid $15 for a panning kit which came with 2 sized pans, a heavy hammer for prospecting, a pair of tweezers with a magnifying glass attached and 2 plastic vials for specimens.

I know what you're thinking, "surely the pay dirt is terribly expensive!"  But no, it really isn't!  I suppose you could pay a lot for some if you really want to but if your goal is to get rich, then just go to Alaska yourself and pan for it there.  You won't get rich buying pay dirt online but you don't have to pay a lot to have fun either!  You can pay anywhere from $6 up to hundreds of dollars depending on who you buy it from and how much you order.  So, if you want to have a little fun this winter, and you are tired of reading, knitting, or making snowmen in the yard, then check out panning for gold!