Some Clear Day Eagle Pictures.

This is the same bird the day after these bottom ones were taken. He loves this big old spruce on our neighbors place and hangs out there quite a bit. He can see both places that way and keeps an eye out for the flock of ravens that like to make pests of themselves. 

A bit fuzzy but you can see his eye really well. 

Looking behind him. There was a lot of birds there that day and he was 'keeping his eye on them.' 

In this picture you can see the hook on his beak and his talons really well. These pictures are all in the poplars around the lagoon. Some days we have as many as 4 or 5 eagles at once. Some golden and some bald. Lately though it's just been this one lone eagle. 

Fun with Pirates and Bridges :)

The boys built this bridge with fence pieces. The blue blanket under the bridge is the water and the brown fences in the water are 'the broken down ship.' The couch and chair are islands. Some of the people on the island are friends but not all of them. Some of them are Pirates!   L is standing surveying the work or he says 'I can be a mountain.' 

L's Towers :)

The kids take turns putting TP under the sink in the bathroom. They take it from our back bathroom which is mostly storage and bring it to the front bathroom and put it under the sink. Last time was L's turn. He loves to do this. A lot more would fit in the back but he came out and told me. "3 towers Mom. That's all I want to do!" 

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Eagles in the Snow!

A few pictures I took of our winter bald eagle. He or she is never here in the summer but for the last several winters we have had a pair of balds and one that is alone. Often at the same time. In the top picture he is eating something that is under his feet! It was snowing so the pictures aren't the best. 

Eggs!!! And My Ice Cream Recipe!

Papa found 6 lovely chicken eggs in the hen house this morning. With every thing on our plates this fall we didn't have time to figure out how to get a light into our new chicken house, so we ended up having a 'dry spell' of about 2 months without very many eggs at all. (We even BOUGHT eggs from the store for baking!) But about 2 weeks ago Papa got a new extension cord and light bulb and TA DA there was light!! That is the one bad thing about using the green house for the chickens, so far. It's quite a ways from the house and not set up at all for lights and things. The calf, Meatloaf, broke one bulb, and another one just burnt out. We finally got one to stay on and now we are getting eggs!! Worth the hassle for sure. Tomorrow night we are having Mr. & Mrs B over for supper before they drive out of our lives again for another month of traveling and homemade ice cream is on the menu!! BBQ's chicken or a pork roast, baked potatoes, salad, corn and ice cream for dessert! Yummo!! We might even make COOKIES tomorrow and eat the dough raw!! Oh wow. Now I'm drooling!! :)

If you've never had it or made it.. you've got to try it.
Here's what you do!
Ice Cream.

1. Whip 4 fresh farmer eggs till they are a  really light yellow color and foamy. Make sure you scrape the sides and get it all mixed in.
2. Add 1/2 of sugar and 2 tsps of Vanilla, keep whipping till it's all mixed in!!
3. Add about 4 or 5 cups of cream, some people cut it in half with milk, but we like it with just cream!
4. Mix it together until it's all the same color!
5. IF you plan on freezing it after making it you can add about a tablespoon of vodka to keep it from freezing hard as a rock!! If you planning on finishing it off that night don't bother.

Now this is the harder part. We have a ice cream maker that comes with a bowl that you freeze and then you add the mixture to the frozen bowl while the machine turns the bowl and it mixes very nicely into wonderful ice cream.  All I have to do is set the timer and take it out when it's done I've also heard you can put it in the freezer in a shakable container and take it out and shake it at intervals which mixes it and makes ice cream. There is also the old ice and salt hand cranker which I've heard works well but have never seen done (that I recall) or used.

Now if you want to make chocolate ice cream or some other kind, play with it. Last time I made chocolate I just whipped in cocoa powder with the sugar and it was AWESOME!! You need quite a bit of cocoa mixed in. I think I did 1/4 cup and you could have done 1/2 no problem! We've also mixed in ice cream sauces in the last few minutes or candies, cookie dough, chunks of chocolate bars, (be aware. Chocolate chips HURT when you bite into them frozen!!)  mint thin paddies are REALLY good :), strawberry jam works great with some strawberry drink mix (my kids think strawberry ice cream has to be pink) to make a great strawberry. There are lots of combo's to try!! Have fun! Kids love to help you make it, and eat it,  and HEY it's even science :)

An Old Forgotten Post. L's Mess!!

This is L and the amazing mess he made from part of his chocolate from Easter last year. Missed it somehow and just found it again :) I find it amazing that he made this kind of mess because he dislikes messes. What I also find amazing is the fact that he's still wearing this shirt and it still fits him.. these pictures were Easter last spring!!

Sword Fighting :)

The kids love to sword fight with Mr. B. It's the highlight of their visit! Often it's 4 against 1 and the 1 still wins. They are getting better though! Mr. B always dies very dramatically which is half the fun! 

 L getting a good hit in! E and J are playing chicken! 

 Mr. B holding them all off! 

 All three of them in on it. 

Mr. B is starting his dramatics. E and J have the new weapons the boys got for Christmas. A mace and a battle axe!  Mr. B is getting in one last stab at L before 'dying.' 

 L getting in one last blow!! They love it! 

Oh and these pictures are from before J's Birthday.. they haven't had a battle since J got his shield. It will be a battle to remember I'm sure.. I'll let you know how it turns out. :) 

Tackle Box and J's 1st KNIFE!!!!

Grandma and Grandpa stopped by the other day with the promised tackle box!! He also got a VERY bright LED flashlight (just in case they stay out too late and need to find their way back in the dark, or so he informed me :) and a little leatherman like tool that does everything :) Including clip to your shirt so you don't loose it!! One of these days we'll have to take Grandpa out shopping so we can get some stuff to put in his tackle box. Stuff he can use for fishing anyway :) Now he has a tent, sleeping bag, fishing rod, tackle box, several flashlights, and is waiting to go fishing!

J reading.

Here is a longer clip of J reading. He had never read this book before.  Now that Papa is working straight evenings J has taken over the 'reading of the bedtime story.'  He loves it. The books we've been getting from the library are just right for him. Both level 1 and level 2. This is a series about a little female dog named Sam who gets into a lot of trouble.

Gingerbread House Update :)

Turns out

LEVI

was the lucky one to break the house!

Great Job LEVI!!!! :)

(Thank goodness for Papa's with great memories :)