Bunny Sunday

Today's Bunny Sunday features guest bunnies, Wrigley and Tiger. 

These cute little guys are visiting us for a week while their mom is out of town visiting relatives for the holidays. 

Wrigley is (I believe) a Holland Lop.

He really reminds us a lot of Patches (but she was a French Lop).

Funny thing, too.  Wrigley made himself right at home and found several of Patches' favorite spots to nap.  If we happen to just quickly glance and see him it sure looks like it could be Patches. 

Tiger was even a good sport and let me dress him in a little elf hat.  So cute!  (He's probably wishing his mom would get home soon.)

I think these 2 are channeling Nutmeg and Patches.  Look at this shot I took of them under the tree:

Look familiar?

:)

Happy Bunny Sunday.

Rosie's favorite new toy

Merry Christmas! Be sure you have your sound turned on... :)

Foggy Morning

We had a very foggy morning a few days ago.  Not to mention that we had lost power during the night (which also means we have no water since we are on a private well).  So, with nothing to do inside the house, I took my camera outside and snapped a few pics. 

I found myself reciting the beginning of a poem I learned in high school: 

The fog comes
on little cat feet.....

I have no idea how that popped in my head, but I couldn't remember the rest of it, so I had to look it up.  Turns out, it is a poem by Carl Sandburg:

The fog comes
on little cat feet
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

I'm sure it stuck in my 15 year old brain because it paints such a good visual.  It's good to know I can remember something from so long ago, when most days I can't remember where I sat my coffee cup down from one minute to the next!! 

Bunny Sunday

Digger, Bully and Sandie bellied up to the Sunday Morning Breakfast Bar:

Have a great Bunny Sunday!

My New Favorite CD

This is what's playing in my car these days on trips into town:

 

Wooden Eye rocks!  My friend Marj's husband, Joe, is the drummer and her father-in-law sings vocals and also plays a wicked cool (as they say in Maine) harmonica.  The band's 

website describes their style as pure Americana with everything from traditional ballads to crash-and-burn roots rock.  Great stuff.

Check out some of the tunes here.  If I had to pick a few favorites, I'd say Coyote and Yard Rage (makes me laugh every time I hear it!) are on the top of the list.  BUT, the entire CD is great.  And Marj and Joe's dog, Bob, even gets to howl on one of the songs, Witch Babies. 

Great job Wooden Eye -- keep it up.  We'll be looking for you to add an Arizona stop to your 2011 tour...

Bunny Sunday

Good news -- I got the Christmas tree put up last night.  Bad news, it's not decorated yet... I'll be working on that today.

The bunnies have been checking it out.

And messing up the tree skirt...

Rosie had to join in and see what all the fuss is about.

I may need to consider fencing off the tree.  Chain link?  Chicken wire?  Oh yeah, that will look REALLY nice.  I'll just need to be on bunny and kitty patrol until after the holidays...

Enjoy your Bunny Sunday everyone!

Baking has Begun

I love to bake.  Especially at Christmas time.  I have a lot of favorite recipes that I make year after year and only at Christmas.  This afternoon I'm going to a Cookie Exchange at a friend's house.  I decided to try a new recipe for Jam Thumbprints and I'm pretty happy I did.  The recipe is easy enough and the cookies are yummy.  I don't know why I've never made them before!

Thought I'd share the recipe:

2/3 c. sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 t. almond extract
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. plus 2 T. flour
1/2 c. raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350. 

Combine the butter, sugar and extracts with an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the flour a cup at a time.  Continue beating until well mixed. You want the dough to be a little on the moist side.

Take a heaping teaspoon scoop of dough and roll it into a smooth ball.  Place the balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  With your thumb, make an indentation in the center (I used the end of a wooden spoon... I know, I know, they ARE called Jam THUMBPRINTS, but my thumb just wasn't cutting it) and fill each indentation with about 1/4 teaspoon jam.

Bake for 15 minutes until light brown around the bottom edges but pale on top.  Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

I sprinkled sparkling sugar on top to make them a little more festive.

Now, if I can just manage to get my tree up and decorated this weekend...

Still Working on Getting into the Christmas Spirit...

I had planned on getting my Christmas tree up this weekend, but that never happened.  The tree is sitting on the porch (in it's box) and that is as far as I got.  It's on my list for this week for sure.  I hope.

It really doesn't help that we're having 70 degree weather here lately.  I shouldn't complain, I know, but it's very un-holiday-ish.

Here's a few more silly holiday animal pics from the archives.  Maybe this will do the trick:

Santa Sassy:

Reindeer Phoenix:

(Angel was always lurking in the background - miss that girl).

Heck, even Gerty is getting into the holiday spirit.

Or not.  She looks like she is saying "bah humbug!".

OK, we'll work on this holiday spirit thing.  Any suggestions?

Bunny Sunday

We're trying to get into the holiday spirit around our house.  Here's Santa Patches and Reindeer Nutmeg from a few years back:

And a pic of last year's "Elf Yourself" video of Sandie, Digger, Ginger, Bully and Turbo.  Too bad the link to this no longer works because it was HYSTERICAL --- five dancing bunny elves having a Christmas hoe-down in a barn.  I'll have to make another one this year. 



I know I'm not the only one out there who dresses their animals up in silly costumes, AM I?  If you have some pics on your blog, let us know so we can go check them out.

Happy Bunny Sunday!

Wild Women and Tricky Ladies

Looking for a unique Christmas gift for those hard-to-buy-for cowgirls on your list?  My friend, Jill Stanford, has a new book out:

Wild Women and Tricky Ladies celebrates the female trick riders and other performers who have been a part of rodeos, Wild West shows, and fairs since the 1800s.  The book has great stories about the trick riding pioneers and also fabulous old cowgirl photos.  I enjoyed looking at the photos almost as much as reading the stories in this book.

This book is a follow-up to The Cowgirl’s Cookbook, which also makes a great gift.  The recipes are fun and easy and the book is also loaded with anecdotal stories and more great old cowgirl photos.  

Heck, buy both books and give them as a set!  Gallop on over to Jill's website and check off some of those names on your shopping list...