The Food Bowl

July 5th, 2008

Ferret Crunchies

2 apples
1/2 c. ferret pellets
peanut butter (optional)

Grind the ferret pellets or crush them with the back of a spoon. Use a little water to soften the food to make it mushy, but not to watery. Mix in some peanut butter, be sure not to add to much. Peel the apples and chop them into tiny pieces. Mix the apples in with other ingredients and serve!

[image: flickr]

Share This

By Heather -- 0 comments

July 4th, 2008

Happy Fourth of July from The Food Bowl!

Happy Fourth of July from the Food Bowl! Be safe and have fun!

[image: flickr]

Share This

By Heather -- 0 comments

July 3rd, 2008

Blasts from the Past

While the writers here at the Lifestyles Channel reside all across the globe, one thing that remains constant are the celebrations of fireworks. Whether it’s here in the U.S. with the Fourth of July or on the other side of the world in New Zealand we all know a summer celebration isn’t the same without fireworks and the memories that go with them.

Chloe of Tangled Thread shares a few festive fireworks and needlework patterns.

Kerri and Cory at Marriage Actually talk about why having a shared past is one of the best parts about being married.

Heather at A Creative Journal shares her first memory of firecrackers with a view from Australia.

Christine at Mad Cropper remembers Guy Fawkes Day, a day celebrated in New Zealand with lots of fireworks. Find out why Guy Fawkes is celebrated by the English and most commonwealth countries. It is indeed a blast from the past!

Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork, provides a quiz for her readers.  See how many of the quilt designs you can connect with historical Americana - events, objects or people.

Marye at Baking Delights reflects on just how much menu’s have changed over the years while at Kettle and Cup she shares a modern twist that many are sure to love with her Non-Alcoholic Long Island Iced Tea

Kelly Saunders at Thrifty Mommy shares her favorite 4th of July memory - I just can’t spoil the surprise - check it out.

Char and Christine continue Camp Weary Parent with this weeks Patriotic activities:  Star Spangled Rocket and a week full of other fun projects

Marcie and Mary Emma are blasting through books with Fourth of July and summer recommendations at One Book Two Book. Make sure to check out Fourth of July Books for Teens and The 10 Best Fourth of July Picture Books

Linette at Robust Cooking shares 10 Healthy 4th of July Dessert Ideas.  At Mother Earth’s Garden she calls out the old saying about corn - “Knee high by the fourth of July.”  At She Knows Parties, she shares fond memories of her summers and holidays as a child.

Karen at Thrifty Mommy probably has the most reason to celebrate the fourth as anyone I’ve heard - join Karen as she shares family photos of one of the most memorable nights in her families lives.

Sandy at All Holiday Cafe provides us with a list of when Independence Day is celebrated in various countries around the world.

Christina at SoloMother shares her own experiences of celebrating the 4th of July in the nation’s capital.

Susan at PlayLibrary shares her memories of playing the classic game of Zimm Zamm during her family’s annual July 4th barbecue celebration.

Heather at Chocolate Bytes may not be having a ‘blast from the past’ but she’s got one heck of a yummy red, white and blue treat she’s serving up.

Eliza at Babylune reflects back on early holiday celebrations with baby on board and looks to this years celebration - their first out of the military.

Last but certainly not least there’s Gayla at MomGadget, whose memories take place in an earlier time when life was much simpler and her celebrations took place with relatives down in the holler in the hills of Kentucky.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday, no matter where or what you’re celebrating!

Share This

By Heather -- 0 comments

July 2nd, 2008

Meerkat Manor Season 4 Premieres Tomorrow!

We are huge Meerkat Manor fans here. We actually didn’t start watching until season 3, and I’m not sure what actually prompted us to start recording it. I think the girls may have stopped on an episode and my husband and I got interested in it too, and we decided to make it one of our family night shows.

Even after just seeing one season of it I think it’s safe to say we’re hooked for the duration of the series. It was easy to get caught up in the apparent dramas of life in the Kalahari Desert, especially with Sean Astin narrating!

Tomorrow’s premiere kicks off with a 90 minute special titled “Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins,” narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and which actually first aired last month. We’d been waiting for it since it was first announced not long after Flower’s death and while it’s a bit corny in parts it was really sweet to see Flower as a baby and her rise as a powerful dominant female. Season four begins right after in its normal timeslot of Thursday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. PT.

Do you watch Meerkat Manor?

[image credit: Animal Planet]

Share This

By Heather -- 0 comments

July 1st, 2008

The Kitty Cat Dance

I can’t believe I’ve never put this up! This is the “Kitty Cat Dance,” a video that’s been around for a while and pretty much never fails to entertain the kids (and ok, the grownups too).

Now just try to get through the rest of the day without thinking “Cat! I’m a kitty cat!“

Share This

By Heather -- 2 comments

June 30th, 2008

A Letter to My Cats

I’ve been keeping my eye out for this for a while. I first read it years ago and loved it and I think it’ll ring true to anyone who is owned by cats:

A Letter to My Cats

Dear Cats,

~ When I say to move, it means go someplace else, not switch positions with each other so there are still two of you in the way.

~ The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

~ The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help, because I can fall faster than you can run.

~ I cannot buy anything bigger than a king size bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of other cats sleeping, they can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing but sarcasm.

~ My compact discs are not miniature Frisbees.

~ For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. In addition, I have been using bathrooms for years — feline attendance is not mandatory or helpful.

~ The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other cats’ back end. I cannot stress this enough.

[image: sxc]

Share This

By Heather -- 1 comment

June 28th, 2008

What Are You Looking At?

I hate bugs and spiders. I know they’re a part of life and when they’re in the house I try not to freak out too much and I deal with it (or if my husband’s around he’ll do it). But that doesn’t mean I have to like it!

Anyway, what I think I hate even more is when we’re relaxing on the couch at the end of the day, watching TV or a movie and one of the cats comes up and just stares, either at the wall behind us or the ceiling. 9 times out of 10 it’s for a reason and if you have cats you know exactly what I’m talking about: guess what is probably mere inches from your head? ACK!

Share This

By Heather -- 0 comments

June 27th, 2008

Feedback Friday: Wet or Dry

We used to give the cats a treat of wet food every now and then but Turbo started throwing it up so we stopped. They don’t seem to miss it.

Oddly enough, the same happened with the dogs! It just didn’t sit well with Honey’s stomach either so all of our pets are on dry only. This was all long before the food recalls so it wasn’t something we gave much thought to.

What do you feed your pet, wet or dry food? Both?

[image: flickr]

Share This

By Heather -- 1 comment

June 26th, 2008

Smithsonian Ferret Cam

I love ferrets. We’ve had the opportunity to pet-sit them a couple of times for friends and they’re such sweet little things. What keeps us from getting any of our own is the age-old issue of scent. My husband had two ferrets at two separate times before we met and he said that even though they were “de-scented” they were still pretty odorous.

Oh well. I can now get my fix from the Smithsonian’s Ferret Cam! Georgia, a black-footed ferret, gave birth on June 20th. This is a big deal because The National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia have been breeding the ferrets for the last 20 years in an effort to keep the animals off the brink of extinction. Black-footed ferrets are actually considered extinct in the wild because they currently survive only in captivity. This year alone 21 females were bred at CRC, four by artificial insemination and 17 by natural pairings. So far four ferrets have given birth!

In the screenshot above you can see what a good mom Georgia is as she gives her little kit a bath. It won’t develop its markings for a while yet.

[image: screenshot]

Share This

By Heather -- 0 comments

June 25th, 2008

Favorite Pet Commercials: Dolce and Maria Sharapova

I love this commercial! It’s one of the few I don’t instantly fast-forward through.

It features tennis pro Maria Sharapova trying to get little Dolce to pose for the camera. (We happen to have a Canon Powershot [not because of this commercial, though!] and it is a great little camera!)

Little Dolce is actually played by canine actor Beowulf.

Share This

By Heather -- 0 comments