Sunday, February 19, 2017

Hey Diddle Diddle, The Cat, Doug and the Fiddle

Hey Diddle Diddle, The Cat, Doug and the Fiddle


Doug sat down with the fiddle for a little bit earlier today.



He played quite a few songs.


With practice being so exhausting ...
He had to lean back and was soon joined by Monster ... the cat ...


Can you play fiddle with a cat in your lap?


Yes you can ...
but it's a little hard to keep control of your fiddle bow.


LOL


Monster is eyeing the bow ...


And Bam!
Going in for a bite!


And a few swats ...


It's such a pretty tune ...
Monster thought he'd just listen for a little bit ...


Very nice ...


Bam!
He almost caught it!


Resting now ...


Thinking ... 


Sneaking ... 


Ready to pounce ... 


Caught it! 


Going in for a bite ...


A few more swats ... 


Another bite ...


A few more swats ... 


Getting tired ...


And practice is over ...
just in time too!
Monster is exhausted!


LOL


Have a great day everyone!

Blessings!

Ava

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

I Just Want To Be Your Friend ...

There was a dog ...
A Basset Hound named Sugar.
There was a kitten ...
A little black kitty named Monster.



Monster just wants to be friends with Sugar.
And all was going well ...
until Monster was cleaning himself and reached over to lick Sugar's ear ...
showing love of course...



Sugar did not feel the same way.


LOL

Sugar turned around!

Now they are both asleep.




Friday, February 3, 2017

A Game of Cat and Mouse

What a morning!

The day started off with a cat and a mouse.

It was early morning ... around 6:00 am ... not a creature was stirring ... except for a cat ... and a mouse!

Yes ...

Doug was already at work ... myself, Sugar, Scooter, Cookie, Dooley and of the kittens ... all sound asleep.

There was a mysterious crash from the kitchen.  I woke up long enough to wonder to myself, "What's that cat getting into?".  Then I laid my head back down and went back to sleep.

The next thing I awaken to is the cat ... and her mouse ... which is still alive ... being brought to us so we could see what she had caught and be so proud of her and sing her praises and shower her with petting and cooing and bragging on her mousing skills.

Well ... that is how it should have gone.  Instead ... it went something like this.

Button brings her mouse into the room where we are all sound asleep.  She laid it down and meowed at us to all please look at her prize.  Now this mouse ... still being alive ... makes a break for it.  It ran right under Sugar, the Basset Hound, who is sound asleep.  You can only imagine how startling this must have been.  The next thing I know Sugar is baying as only a hound dog can do ... I sit straight up awakened by the ruckus.  Sugar moves over to escape the mouse and the mouse just runs right under him again.  The cat runs to get her mouse ... which is now under Sugar ... and reaches with her paw like "hey ...excuse me ... my mouse is under there" ... to which Sugar reacts to with growls and a snap.

Now the cat wants her mouse back!  Sugar, who has no real interest in the mouse, is only concerned that he has a mouse under him and now a cat trying to reach under him to get it ... and no matter how politely this is done ... it has awakened him ... startled him ... and now he's just a tad bit angry.

Now Sugar is growling ... the cat is meowing ... the mouse is hiding ... Sugar hates the mouse ... the cat wants the mouse ... Sugar won't let her reach it ... and now the other dogs are trying to check the situation out.  This doesn't help.  Sugar snaps at one of the other dogs ... the cat ... while he is distracted ... tries again to retrieve her mouse ... Sugar growls ... and she slaps him.  Sugar did not appreciate this at all!  Not one single little bit!

Now Sugar and the cat are in a yelling match!  Sugar barking .... Button meowing ... Sugar growling ... Button hissing ... Sugar snapping ... Button slapping ... Sugar barking ... Button meowing ... Mouse still hiding under Sugar ... Sugar growling ... Button hissing ... the mouse hiding under Sugar every time he tries to move and get away from it ... I was afraid it was actually going to turn into a brawl!!!!

I try to intervene ... and while Sugar is distracted by me ... the mouse makes a run for it ... a valiant but futile effort on it's behalf.  The cat ... with lightening speed ... catches it and runs to the kitchen.  I finally get the dogs settled down.  Now Button brings ME the mouse ... lays it at my feet ... and has this whole conversation with me.  She meows ... she purrs ... she touches the mouse with her paw ... looks at me ... I admire it ... tell her she's very brave ... she meows and touches the mouse with her nose ... then looks at me for more.  I tell her what a pretty girl she is and what a big mouse she has caught.  She meows and purrs ... meows some more.  She cranes her neck to look at Sugar ... and meows.  I tell her how awful it was of Sugar to try to take her mouse!  She meows ... and purrs ... tells me all about it.

She took her mouse back into the kitchen and plays with it for a while. The next thing I know ...she brings it to me and lays it at my feet.  It is dead.  She sits down and silently looks at me.  I realize at this point she is giving it to me.  I tell her thank you.  She does a series of meowing.  (It seems as though she is speaking in kitty cat sentences.)  Then she goes back into the kitchen.  I wait the appropriate amount of time ... which on this particular day ... is about 15 minutes.  During that time I haven't seen her at all.  While she isn't looking and is preoccupied in the kitchen, I get a kleenex ... use it to pick up the little mouse by the tail ... and carry it outside ... which is where I left it.

About five minutes later she walk up to where she left the mouse ... sniffs the floor ... looks at me ... meows one single meow ... sits down and looks at me for a minute ... then goes along her merry way.

I think SHE thinks I ate it!

I told her thank you.




Monday, January 30, 2017

Feeling better!


I'm just getting over this stomach bug and then the sinus bug hit me.  
Ugh.
I am feeling better now.  Had to take a few days off from teaching, quilting and crocheting. 

Got back at it last night and I will be teaching today.

Made three hats yesterday that are ready to put in the mail.  
Yes, when I say I'm back at it ... I really mean it.  
LOL

Hope that you all are managing to stay well.

And please remember to be kind to those around you. 
There is not enough kindness in this world. 

And every bit of kindness ... no matter how big or small ... matters.

Love and Blessings my Friends!

I am so glad you stopped by!
Ava Jane

Sunday, January 22, 2017

January 22, 2017 Dog Blankets and Kittens


Hello!
Hope you all had a great day today!

Thought I would share this picture of my neck warmer!  
LOL
Little kitties are the best!
This ones name is Munster ... but his nickname is Monster.  
He's quite a character!



I've been cutting and piecing quilts.  
Yesterday was mainly sewing the pieces together to make the blocks.  
Today will be cutting ... cutting ... and cutting.

Quilting is so fun for me.  I find it relaxing and rewarding.  It is exciting to me to see all of the pieces sewn together ... the blocks formed ... and see it come together.    
These four quilts are especially meaningful because they are memory quilts for someone I went to school with and knew personally.



I still have three kittens that needs homes.  
If any of my local people know of anyone who would like a kitten message me and let's check it out.  They are so sweet and lovable.  Very socialized and ready for homes.

The dogs finally wore out one of their comforters so I decided to cut it up and make smaller dog blankets out of it for them.  That is what I did this evening.  Here it is all laid out on the table.  
There's Cookie standing under the table.  She is a Doberman. 
She's quite the helper.

Got out my trusty sewing tools.
There's my messy pin cushion.
This pin cushion and I have been through a lot of sewing projects together.


Started cutting ...


Did some sewing ...


Did some more cutting ...


Ended up with four dog blankets this size.
They are already enjoying them now.


Thanks for stopping by today!

Come back often! 

Enjoy this day in your life.

Love and Blessings my Friends!
Ava Jane

Friday, January 20, 2017

Foggy Morning

It was a beautiful foggy morning in Hannibal, Missouri this morning.
I think there is something beautiful about the fog.
It is something that is beautiful and eerie at the same time.


I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
Enjoy!








Blessings my friends!

I am so glad you stopped by!
Ava Jane




Thursday, January 19, 2017

Frittata


Today I decided that I was going to make a Frittata.  
I wasn't actually planning to make it today ... but planning a later day to try it.
Instead ... as the day went by ... and I got hungry ... and ...
TaDa!
Today became the day!

Mine is a simple Frittata.  
They can be made to include fruit and vegetables ... rice ... meat ... pretty much whatever you decide you would like to add.  Or even better yet ... check out the left overs in the 'frig and see if they would work as ingredients.
For my frittata I decided to just go simple. 


Eggs, sausage, cheese and some biscuits and gravy on the side. 
I have to say that this made a meal that both Doug and I were very satisfied with.  
It left us our bellies very full and warm. 
I will share with you how I made it. 
I do have to tell you though … I was taught to cook by the eyeball method … meaning you didn’t always measure your ingredients but “eyeballed” it according to what you thought looked right.   There are many times that I will measure … but there are just as many times that I don’t. 


Here are the ingredients that you will need: 
Frittata Ingredients:  11 eggs, 1lb sausage, ¾ cup milk, ¾ cup cheese
Biscuits (we used canned biscuits today)
Gravy Ingredients:  Sausage drippings, Flour , Milk, Salt, Pepper 

I would like to express the joy it brings me to cook with our cast iron skillets.  Pure Joy!  We have five cast iron skillets in various sizes.  
My large one belonged to my Grandma Williams and I know for a fact that it has fed six generations of my family.  I always think of my Grandmother when I am cooking with this pan.  I used it and Doug’s big cast iron pan from the fire pit to cook this meal.  
I used Grandmas skillet for the Frittata and used Doug’s skillet for the gravy.


The first thing that I did was turn the oven on to 350 degrees.  The next thing was to use Doug’s skillet and fry one pound of sausage.  I dipped the sausage out into a bowl and Doug poured the grease out of the pan.  (He did it for me because these cast iron skillets are so heavy.)  Then I put just a little bit of the sausage back into the skillet and set it aside to use later to make the gravy.


I got Grandma’s cast iron skillet out and set it on the stove for making the frittata.
I got out my big mixing bowl, a whisk and the eggs.


I broke and whisked 11 eggs … added ¾ cup of milk … whisked that together.  I then sprayed my cast iron skillet with non-stick cooking spray and poured the egg and milk mixture into the skillet.  Then added 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into the egg mixture putting one layer in … pressing it down into the egg mixture with a spoon … and then adding the remaining shredded cheese to the top.  


I cooked this on the stove top for two to three minutes and then put it right into the oven from there. 


(all empty now)


It cooked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.


And here it is all done!


Now it’s time to cook the biscuits and the gravy. 
I got out the flour and the milk.  



On this night I did not have the energy to make biscuits from scratch so we used canned biscuits.  I put them in the oven and turned my attention to making gravy.


Now we are to the part where I really don’t measure but just eyeball it.  So bear with me.

I took the cast iron skillet with the little bit of sausage in it and added three spoons (big ones) of flour to the dry skillet and whisked it together.


I then poured two cups of milk.  
(I ended up using three cups of milk all together)


Add just enough milk to whisk in and make a paste.


Add a little bit more milk and whisk together until smooth.


Add a little bit more milk and whisk until smooth.  You can see in the picture that this time there was enough milk involved to make a smooth mixture that is no longer pasty.


At this point keep adding milk and whisking until you have added the entire remaining milk into the pan and it is smooth.


Now you’re just cooking it so it becomes gravy.  Whisk it and then let it do a few bubbles then whisk again and continue doing this until it reaches the desired thickness that you like for your gravy.  
Each time you whisk you can feel the thickness in the bottom of the pan and you are whisking this back into the milk gravy.


Here’s the gravy all finished to the thickness that I like.


At this time your meal is finished.  
If you hadn’t already gotten your biscuits out it is time to do so (they cook for 10 minutes).


Here is Doug’s plate.  Mmmmm … it looks delicious!


Here is my plate.  I put a little bit of that gravy on my Frittata too!  


Doug is ready for the first bite. 
Apparently someone else is too … look at Buttons (the cat) looking that bite over.  Lol


And now it’s gone!
We have success!



It was a delicious meal!  We are full and happy!  It is definitely something that I will make again!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Come back often! 

I am so glad you stopped by!

Ava Jane