My 43rd Birthday!

EEEeeeeee!!!  Birthday DAY!!!

French Toast Sticks and Berries for Breakfast, YUM!

 

 

The morning was nice and peaceful.  At least until I took Snowball for walk (cat torture).

  

She meows at the window all the time, then I take her out and she HATES it.

Meow*  Why must you torture me???  *Meow

She has no concept of walking on a leash.

In fact, her goal was to NOT cooperate (check out her back foot and how she digs those toes in).  :)

Sophie played in the yard, and Snowball complained, while I jumped on the trampoline.  It was weird having the trampoline all to myself; like it was missing a few kids or something. 

I tried to show her how to climb a tree before taking her back inside.  She wasn't thrilled with the lesson.

 

Anyways, after a fun-filled morning of torturing the cat, it was time to get ready to head to Chicago!

 

The day before my birthday, Mom and I went shopping and she took me to the cupcake shop in Valpo.

She got me the tuxedo cupcake, which has a cream cheese filling.  It was sooo rich and sweet to me that the kids and I shared it.  I just can't handle my sugar very well, even though I have a massive sweet tooth. 

Next, it was manicure time, compliments of Gladdie.  :)  Yeah, that's NEON GREEN!!!

A quick selfie with Mom-- (Melfie?) and it was time to hit the road!

I know this comes as no shock to most of Y'all, but I'm not really a city gal. 

Jean's flight just happened to be flying into O'Hare Airport (coming back from spring break in Florida), and I needed to pick her up.

Sooo, seeings as how I was passing by Chicago anyways, I figured it would be fun to check out Navy Pier.

On the way, I spotted a, # MARCH 4 KIDS sign.  Hehe, March is backwards.

A view of Navy Pier from Lakeshore Drive:

For as much as Glenn enjoys Chicago, it is surprising that I don't remember ever being at Navy Pier.

I think we may have taken the kids to the Children's Museum a few years ago, but it was so cold out that we didn't go outdoors. 

The evening of March 13, 2015 was totally gorgeous out.  I didn't even need a coat!

We took a, 15 story high, ride on the Ferris Wheel!!! 

Weeeeeeeee!

The Ferris Wheel ride was the highlight that evening.

Of course, the views were spectacular and my snapshots do not do them justice.

Sightseeing was fun, and then there was the supper incident.  

The conversation was one of those continuous loops that went like this:  Where do you wanna eat?  I dunno, where do you want to eat? 

Glenn couldn't take it anymore, and we went into the next eating establishment we came to.

The matredee was sooo nice, he gave us a tour of the highly decorated restaurant before seating us in a romantic nook with a view overlooking the lake.

Little did we know that the least expensive item on the menu was the $56 swordfish appetizer.  As we unfolded our gold trimmed napkins, and sipped on the lemon/mint water, we opened the menus and gasp!!!!! 

Not only was the food out of our budget for the evening, it was almost all seafood or really weird entrees that I've never heard of. 

We enacted the good ole trusty, fake an emergency plan, and made a B-line straight for the door.

We had pizza for supper instead.   
 

The water was so clear and had a green tint; it reminded me of Green Bay. 

It strikes me as odd, to see such a great variation in the clarity of Lake Michigan water.  Specifically, the coffee stained Michigan city pier water compared to the clear, slightly green, Navy Pier water.

This is the view of the lighthouse when standing on the farthest tip of Navy Pier looking south: 

Another amazing fact from the day, is that I didn't see any fish or folk's trying to catch fish.  A pier without fishermen-- Is that legal?  Crazy City Folk.  :)

Carrot Cake

Yummm, CAKE!!! 





I've had lots of company here lately, and thought I'd bake a cake to serve.

But... it couldn't be just any cake.  I needed it to be at least somewhat healthy.  And of course it HAD TO BE DELICIOUS.

By making a few tweaks with the recipe, I managed to do both successfully!

I will say, this cake does not taste like it's health food by noooo means.  Probably because it's not!

I did replace 1 cup of oil with applesauce and added extra carrots.  Y'all know that has to count for something, amIright? :)

This cake turned out super moist and just perfect.

How can a gal go wrong with both pineapple and carrots?

Soo, have ya ever bought organic fruit and veggies at the store only to come home and find out they are just regular doughnuts?  Hahahaha, I crack me up.  :) 

Yes, I know my photography skills need work.  Trust me, it's yummy.

This picky eater could not get enough of it:

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 eggs

• 1/2 cup canola oil

• 2 cups finely grated carrots

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup undrained crushed pineapple

• 1 cup applesauce

• 1 cup chopped nuts

• CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• 2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

• 5 tablespoons butter, softened

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, oil, applesauce,carrots and vanilla; beat until combined. Stir in pineapple, and nuts.

Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter in a small bowl until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Frost cake. Sprinkle with additional nuts. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Stubborn Hudson Lake Fish

Howdy Folk's!

During ice fishing season, I got the chance to visit a new lake.  New for me anyways.  Mark, Randy, Mike and I fished Hudson Lake in New Carlisle. 

We got a very early start, 5 AM early,  before the sun was up!!!

I brought a tip-up and Mark, aka appropriately nicknamed, High Flags, helped me set it up.

We were all trying are darndest to get those fish to ride the hooks! 

The fish were not in the hook riding mood, as we all got skunked..(GASP)...that time out!  And to think, I got up extra early for those fish too!!!  Next time, those stubborn fish don't want to ride the hooks, I'm sleeping in!  :)

Cowboy Casserole

Who's ready for something hot 'n bubbly, right out of the oven?




 Yeah, this one was a winner with Grace and Joe the other day!!!

Actually, everyone liked it, (even the non- onion eaters had seconds)!

It's an easy dish to throw together.

Seasoned meat with onion, soup, sour cream, cheese, and corn over a bed of tator tots, topped with more tator tots and cheese.  Yummm.

Who doesn't like a hot and bubbly casserole anyways?

These two scarfed it right up:

Cowboy Casserole:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (10.75-ounce) cream of mushroom soup

(10-ounce) frozen corn

garlic powder, to taste

pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

1 pound bag tater tots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in the corn, soup, 1 cup cheese, milk, sour cream, garlic powder and pepper. 

Place 1 layer of Tater Tots in a greased baking dish. Layer with beef mixture and remaining Tater Tots; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. 

Getting Stuck and BMV Mug Shots

Jean and I tend to fish pre-drilled holes that are abandoned because they can be easier to re-open, than drilling though 18 inches of solid ice.

We did well and caught a bunch of bluegills.

So, the next day I head out to fish and find, I got the place to myself.

I go to re-open a hole and the auger gets stuck.  Nooo problem, I think, as I got my cordless drill attached.  I'll just flip it in reverse and drill that baby right out of there.  The auger does not budge.  I couldn't help but to get back to my shanty and fish.

 

The hole in the shanty was rough and had a maze of ice layers.  Although, it did have fish!

 

Eventually, a friend came out with a gas auger and rescued my auger.  :)  Then a few days later it got stuck again and someone else helped me get it free.  I think I either need to sharpen the blades or make sure I have lots of friends, before using it next year.

Soo, in other news, it was time to renew my driver's license.  Here's a tip: if you want your pic taken multiple times by the BMV than smile with your teeth showing.  Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me use none of the "good" pics.  It has to be a mug shot without teeth!  Sigh. 

Redears / Red Face

Sadly, ice season is over here.  Now.  These pics are from a few weeks ago. 

Even though I look forward to Spring, I was seriously having issues this year as I watched the snow melt. 

Ice fishing is just that FUN!!

On this particular day, I kept catching Redears; one right after another!

I didn't take a pic of all of them.  Hopefully, the fishes that didn't get there photos taken won't hold it against me.  Or have any self-esteem issues as a result; they were all truly beautiful fish.

Sooo, I was busy... catching fish.... and I caught a sunburn.  :(

Redears and Redfaced!

Banana Pudding & Dunes Hike

Hi There!

I have Spring Fever!  I'm ready to walk outside without having to bundle up first, which I had a taste of the other day at almost 70 degrees here.  Yay!!!  

 

Well, today's weather is in the 40's and sunny.  Loafie aka Sophie, and I went for a walk along Coffee Creek. (Sorry no pics from today, but I do plan on going back there tomorrow with my camera!)

I realize it's been awhile since I've posted anything.  The main reason being, I have been extra busy caring for a crippled husband.  He had a procedure done on his hip and seems to be recuperating well. Thus, I plan to resume regular postings.  :)  In fact, I plan on posting every day for the rest of this month!

Grace and Joe joined us for supper.  I fixed banana pudding.  I used both vanilla and banana flavored pudding and layered them up parfait style along with Nilla wafers and fresh bananas.

I did use boxed pudding mixes, although, I prefer the cook and serve types, over the instant mixes.  Whatever you like best will work, though.

It's as easy as... pudding!  :)  Layer it all up: wafers, nanners, vanilla pudding, more wafers, more nanners, and banana pudding.

The very top, got topped off with Nilla crumbs.

Note: be sure and cover all the fresh bananas with pudding, otherwise they may begin to turn brown.

A recipe isn't necessary, as it's just that easy.

The day before we lost most of our snow around here, I went hiking at the Dunes National Lakeshore.  I usually don't visit this place in the winter, but I was curious to see what it was like.

I like this historic building:

I stayed on land for my hike.  Lake Michigan here is not the same as in Wisconsin.  The ice is bumpy here and has huge sand/ice mounds.

I'm sure the snow has melted by now.  I'm looking forward to a day at the beach, when swimming is an option.  :)