Valentine Cookies

I love preschool helpers.  They want to try everything.

Valentine party for school today?  

Well, I wouldn't call it a party, but we did do some Valentine-related learning.  BigJ and I watched the history of Valentine's Day (via history channel videos on the web) and about St. Valentine for whom the day is named after.  We also watched videos about the history of chocolate and how chocolate is made.  Then....

...we headed to the kitchen for some cookie baking.

Sounds like a good excuse for some cookie baking, doesn't it?

LittleJ likes to help me in the kitchen, and BigJ humored me,  and the three of us had a grand time rolling, cutting, and baking.

Little J chose hearts and bears and tried his hardest at rolling some dough.

Big J enjoys cutting out the cookies, but will gladly leave the rest to me.

These cookies are SO good just plain, so we kept it simple and didn't frost them.  Mmmmm.... soft and yummy.  We had a very nice Valentine's Day.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Christmas Leftovers!

The Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Today it has been snowing and blowing, with temperatures holding in the upper 20's and windchills in the single digits.  Brrrrr.....

But I guess this little guy thought it was a fine day to visit the bird feeder in the front yard.

It's not the first time he's come to the feeder, and I've seen and heard his drumming several times on the trees in the backyard.

I found a very nice Ohio bird guide in pdf form that has nice photos and a quick summary of each bird. Here is the description given for the red-bellied woodpecker:

"This big, extroverted and conspicuous

woodpecker is easily lured to backyard

feeders, and its loud rolling churr calls are

heard throughout Ohio woodlands. The

common name is not very appropriate; the

faint blush of reddish pigment on the breast is

barely visible. After the downy woodpecker

and possibly the Northern flicker, this is the

most common Ohio woodpecker."

Our usual feeder friends are sparrows, finches, bluejays, juncos, and cardinals, so it was nice to see someone different today. I'm hoping he'll make a regular appearance this winter.  Thankfully, I was able to get these pictures through the front window so I could stay nice and warm inside on this wintery day.

The Rainforest at The Cleveland Zoo

We took a little trip up to the Cleveland Zoo 

to spend some time in The Rainforest.  

Monday was a great day to go since it was in the low 40's and there were hardly any people there.

The low temperature was hardly a concern though since it's a pleasant and humid 80 degrees

 inside, which made for a nice winter get-away.

BigJ and LittleJ starting down the path through the forest.
It leads to a hidden spiral staircase to the upper level.

Here are a few of the animals that were on exhibit.

This chameleon was on the move, slowly and carefully to the top. 
Their front "hands" are so interesting in the way they grip around the branch.

I have to say, I really enjoyed watching the anteaters in this exhibit.
They are amazingly weird looking creatures!!

Can you believe this snake?
I was very surprised when it opened it's mouth like that!

We also saw bats, crocodiles, porcupines, poison dart frogs, different types of monkeys, birds, and fish, and the orangutans.

 I ♥ the zoo. And since we have zoo passes, we'll be heading back there soon before they expire early summer.  This was definitely a fun adventure on a cold winter day, and another favorite Ohio field trip!  

Merry Christmas!!!

LittleJ has been waiting... and waiting... and waiting... and....

It's finally here!
Christmas morning.

And I ended up having to not only wake him up, but the rest of them as well.

Here he is looking barely awake, but ready to go!




So, here's just a little bit of our Christmas....

I ♥ new Christmas socks!

Lego Mini-figures!!

I can't believe I'm actually holding this!

Cars!

...and I hope yours has been filled with a little bit of this...

♥

... and a little bit of Him;  

Jesus, the Light of the World, Emmanuel, God With Us.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas.

 

A Few Favorite Fall Pics!

It's been quite a while since I've posted any family happenings, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite pictures from this fall season. 

We love playing outside and our backyard is still one of my most favored places.  It backs up to a landscape nursery which makes for a nice quiet place to relax and play.

We have just enough trees and leaves to keep us busy in the fall too. 

It's not too often I can get a good "portrait" of BigJ, so when I do I'm pretty excited. 

I like the way this one turned out.

We've had some very nice fall weather days here, and this day we took a trail walk at the Wilderness Center.

We've had an enjoyable fall season, but like always, I wish the colors could last just a bit longer and winter would be just a bit shorter. 

Who's That Chef?

Look it's Erica! 

She and her culinary class from the career center were cooking at the Wayne Co. Fair this year.  It's a senior tradition, and of course they get out of school for the day, so they are very happy!

Now, lets just say, no matter who's cooking at the tent, they can grill up a fantastic pork loin sandwich.  But last Wednesday the culinary students were cooking and serving up a few extras. 


Erica and one of her fellow classmates were serving cajun-style bourbon pork over rice, with some black bean concoction over it as well.

I wasn't so brave on the black beans, but I did like the bourbon pork and rice.  It was VERY good. 

Will she be cooking this at home?  Probably not.... I don't think she knows the recipe!  She did bring home some delicious cinnamon raisin bread today though that she made herself.  YUM!!!