Archive Fridays - 6/29/06

Naming the kittens, and new addtions.

Sorry about the erratic photo size.  Sometimes Live Journal would give me fits over photo uploads.  That is one of the many reasons I opened a Blogger account.

Archive Fridays - 6/27/06

We have Kittens!!

And since it's just mean to make you wait for the pictures after the announcement, click here for day just born babies.

*Note:  Though I left out most of the pics with afterbirth schmutz on the kittens, there are still a few noticable bits.

Atticus - the little cuss

This is Atticus.  He's one of my foster babies for now.  Sometimes I look at him and forget he's not Efah, my little black kitten from last year.  He's just as cuddly as Efah was.  Then the "little cuss" will come out and I remember real quick.  Atticus suffers from the eternal fear that he's not going to be fed enough.  So breakfast and dinner times are a bit of a challenge.  Especially since Mariner has now decided that she has to mimic that behavior.  All of that should change, though, if he can score a forever home that will free feed.  And I'm sure he'll end up being a "fat and happy little cuss."

I don't know what it is about my sewing, but all the cats love to interfere with that.  You may recognize that fabric Atticus is on as the fabric I used for my niece's garb.  That's what I was sewing here.  Atticus just decided to plop down on the fabric and try to nap.  Of course, my attempt at removal turned into a game.

So then I decided to try to move the fabric I was working on.

"Oh Noes, it's MINE!"

"You cannot takes mah Fabrics!  I must Hoard dems!"

Yes, Atticus speaks in LOL Cats.

This is how we Christmas

Christmas Eve is a big foodie deal in my family.  Thanksgiving is more of a formal food affair and we do have long back and forths over what food we're going to fight for to keep in the repertoire.  On Christmas Eve though, we experiment.  I can't remember exactly when we decided to do appetizers for the Christmas Eve gathering, but what I do remember is Mom being tired of cooking two large meals right after the other.  I think I was still in Junior High, or maybe I had just entered High School, but for me that translated into "more cheese balls and cookies!"  So naturally I was all for it.

These days our family gathering is much smaller than it used to be due to other parts of the family doing their own thing for the holiday.  But we still gather at one of the family homes to eat together and open presents.  Below is our Christmas table with all of our dishes.  Though apparently we were missing Mom's truffles.  For shame!

Mom is the sweets queen.  She always brings her traditional Christmas cookies and gingerbread men plus whatever other cookies or truffles she feels like throwing together.  It's not Christmas without those Christmas tree and candy cane sugar cookies.  I remember sitting around our kitchen table as a girl decorating those.  the trees have much less of those silver beebee looking candies on them now that I'm not decorating anymore.  I think our dental plans are thankful for that.

Mom also always brings the beef.  Our thinly sliced Burgandy Beef favorite was a tad overcooked this year, but it was still just as good as always.  I'm one of those people who prefers my beef on the medium to medium rare side.  I don't care what Mom said about the dish being overcooked.  I still took a baggy home with me to eat for the rest of this week.  Also seen here is the horseradish sauce that is to accompany the beef as well as my sister's shrimp dip and some cheezy things and bacon wrapped sausage appetizers.

Here we have the Mushroom plate.  

First up is my Mom's stuffed mushroom recipe and her rye bread snacks, which also have a small amount of mushroom in them.  Both of these items have been on the Christmas menu since we started doing this appetizer style meal years ago.  They're one of those items that we all insist on reprising every year.  This year I was supposed to make the stuffed mushrooms, but Mom's recipe ended up being put together by my Brother-in-Law since the makings of that recipe were one of several which were left at my house accidentally.  He did a great job with them considering we realized I got the wrong kind of Parmesan.  The greener of the stuffed mushrooms are Walnut and Spinach Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms from Foods for Long Life.  That recipe was a new one for me.  I've always wanted to add in a raw vegan option for us to try out.  I finally made it this year.  Except, I didn't have time to dehydrate the mushrooms, so they ended up getting lightly baked anyways.  They were a hit in any case, but I sure would like to try them out as they were made to be eaten sometime.  The little white bread appetizers are my sister's mushroom canapés.  If I remember correctly there's mushroom, mayo, and fried onions mixed together on that bread.  

On this next plate we have the Pumpkin Pie Wontons from food.com and Pear & Brie Tart from Beantown Prepster.

Those Pumpkin Pie Wontons were also made by my Brother-in-Law as yet another pre-prepped dish forgotten at my place, but it as it turned out, his were better than mine!  I actually made the Pear & Brie Tart, which was just Divine!  That recipe was a first for me and I was a little nervous about how it was going to work since I've never really worked with phyllo dough much, but it was very easy to put together and it tasted wonderful!  If you click on the link, there is mention of Philly Cream Cheese for the herbed cheese.  I used Boursin cheese because I never saw any such garlic herb Philly Cream Cheese.  But Boursin cheese is made like Neufchatel, which is fancy cream cheese, so it's the same thing.

I had one other item that didn't make it out to the table setting this year.  My Sweet Potato version of Perfect Parsnips from the Good Mood Food Blog.  These were another example of a pre-prepped food that was left at home, so we hurridly tried to replace them.  Unfortunately, I didn't put enough oil on them during the baking process, so they were too flour-ey.  Then after I added the oil, the cheese started over cooking, so the potatoes didn't ever crisp up.  But they tasted ok mushy, so we all snacked on them as we were cooking everything else.  By the time we were ready to put the last food on the table there wasn't even enough of the potatoes to put out.

For Christmas gifts, the adults in the family draw names for gift giving.  But we go all out for the kids.  Since my niece is the only girl child in the family, I've been making her fun costumes or purses or accessories every year for a while now.  I really enjoy it.  This year she asked for Renaissance Faire garb so she can be in costume for Scarborough Faire.  Her little brother also asked for garb as well, but he's still little enough that I think he forgot and would really rather have toys when it comes down to it.  I still made him garb.

Here they are in their new Rennie fashions:

I made my niece's dress from my tried and true Tudor Tailor patterning book.  This is actually the pattern I've used for most of my own garb.  It's simple and easy and can be worn under more embellished looks or alone.  I made it a little big so she has room to grow.  It laces on the sides and in the back and the shoulder straps are  loosely stitched so they can be adjusted as well.  The skirt is a separate piece for mixing and matching as well as full adjustment.

My nephew got a basic Tudor shirt with a collar and basic straight legged pants.  There's going to be a doublet later to fancy it up a bit.  I have all kinds of great fabric to dress him in, but since this was the first thing I made for him, I wanted to make sure I had basics first.  He should be able to grow in that shirt and the pant legs have several inches of hem to give.  Plus if he stays thin he can wear the pants as highwaters and wear cool socks with them.

I hope all of you had a great Christmas and have a Happy and Save New Year!

Archive Fridays - 6/20 - 26/06

This week's blog post is actually four posts.  I figured it was silly to drag out the "waiting for kittens" saga into 4 weeks.

6/20/06
6/21/06
6/22/06
6/26/06

Christmas Shopping Whirlwind

For the first time in many years I actually finished my Christmas shopping prior to the actual week of Christmas.  Yes, I am one of those procrastinating shoppers who tends to always have at least a couple of gifts to buy on December 23.  This year, I finished my shopping the Friday before.  I was so very proud of myself.  This is not to say that I'm totally finished with Christmas.  I still have a couple of gifts I'm making myself, but those are sure to be finished quickly on my day off.  So they don't count.

Last night I was in Jo-Ann Fabrics to pick up ribbon for one of those very such home made gifts I need to finish.  I also needed a gift bag.  In the past I've been very good about avoiding the Holiday decorations aisle completely because my home is chaotic and any decorations I try to put up will be immediately destroyed by those shredder kitten claws.  I'm not kidding.  I tried putting up a tree 4 years ago and it was only marginally destroyed, but then I had fewer foster cats then.

So, I'm in Jo-Ann's and I'm in the Holiday decorations aisle looking for gift bags and I notice that most everything is already 70% off.  It is at that very moment when "Crazy Holiday Shopper" me spirals out of control.  Right behind me was a collection of the cutest turquoise blue snowman and snowflake baking tools.  I wanted it all.  From the cookie spatula to the whisk, to the oven mitts.  They all matched.  Hell, I think I would have picked up the apron had there been one.  Then there were cookie cutters and pancake molds and toast stamps.  What about serving dishes?  I want matching serving dishes!!!  I had my arms full as I made my way down to the register.

I don't remember what exactly it was that snapped me out of my shopping insanity, but all of a sudden I heard this little voice in my had say, "Maggie!  What are you going to do with all of that stuff?  You don't bake! And if you did, where are you going to store it?  Which full closet?  Hmm?"  All I have to say is Thank Goodness I have voices inside my head because I was about two seconds from purchasing an armload of un-needed, though really cute, junk that was just going to end up in a box at the back of one of my closets and never seen again.  Or at least not seen again until I stop fostering cats en mass.  Just like my Christmas tree and my Halloween decorations.

Thank you voices in my head.  You rock!

Looking for a new furry family member? How to be prepared. Pt 4 - Is Free really Free?

In previous installments of this series I've discussed purchase vs adoption for acquiring a new pet.  But there is also a 3rd option I'd like to talk about.  The "free" giveaway.

Scenario 1:
You're minding your own business shopping for all those crazy holiday gifts and then you spot a cart full of the cutest puppies on the planet.  Your daughter has been begging for a puppy for the longest time now, but you just weren't sure.  It's Christmas now and you think you're ready to make the plunge, and well, Free puppies means Zero money spent on this particular present!  So you can get a puppy And that Barbie she wanted too.  Win Win!  Right?

Scenario 2:
You want to surprise your significant other with that kitten she's been hinting about.  You've looked at rescues, but their adoption fees are all around $100.  You have been on a tight budget lately and really can't afford that kind of money for a present.  So you look in the paper and on Craigslist and find a few listings giving kittens away.  Wow!  You may be able to get that kitten Plus a gift certificate to DSW!  How is that not a win win situation?

Answer:
While those litters may very well have come from a lovely home who had an "oops" litter and they look beautifully taken care of and may not give you any health problems like a commercial bred pet might, "free" is never "free" in this case.  Pets being given away for free 9 times out of 10 have not been vetted at all.  So remember, you still have to pay for all of that vetting.  Just how much could you be out of pocket?

I've done a small price comparison on various options local to me.  And from what I can see, the cost of fully vetting a new kitten or puppy is going to be just shy of $400 (using the more costly spay surgery scenario) if you use the subsidized SPCA clinic.  Having your vetting performed with a personal vet is going to cost quite a bit more.  When all is said and done, paying for your own vetting can cost you between $495 - $630.  And while you are sure to receive the best possible care that a personal vet can provide, for those who are on a budget and looking for a "free" pet, "free" just got rather expensive.  Even the cheapest method of going through a low cost mobile vet for vaccinations and going to a non-profit group like Kitti Co for the spay or neuter is going to cost you $109.  If the mobile vet does not test for FIV and Leline Leukemia,  you'll need to have that test performed at a vet's office, which will tack on not only a $55 office visit, but another $35 for the test, bringing your total to $199.

So what exactly are you saving if you adopt?  Quite a lot actually.  Average adoption fees for cats in the Dallas area seem to average between $55 and $125.  The same area seems to average between $85 and $285 for dogs.  If you adopt from a rescue that guarantees all the vetting no matter what age you adopt, your out of pocket for vetting will be confined to illness after adoption and the annual boosters.  However, some rescues only pay for the spay/neuter and whatever vaccinations are due at the time of adoption.  In this case, you would be responsible for the rest of the vaccinations due.  Adopting an 8 week old kitten from a rescue may still end up costing you a little in vetting shortly after adoption.  So ask those questions.  Make sure you know what you are getting with your adoption fee.  Even still, with having to cover those last vaccinations on your own, you will come in at well under the cost of a "free" kitten who requires all of its vetting.