Deep dish Apple cake

My idea of a good apple cake is one that tastes like apple pie.

This little number does just that.

Slice up 12 apples and mix with 1/4 cup of sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon.  Place in bottom of baking dish.

Mix together 2 eggs, 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 tsp. of vanilla

Add 1/2 cup of oil, (I use olive oil) and 6 tablespoons of orange juice.

Mix together 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, pinch of salt

Add this to the wet mixture

Beat until smooth and pour over the apples.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Easy peasy

Add a little whipped cream and cinnamon on top....perfect for an Easter dessert.

Hope you are enjoying your Spring.  I saw some green grass peaking through the snow today and screamed a little. It doesn't take much after 6 months of winter. *sigh*

Today it is sunny and a high of +6. Nothing like past springs where we were out wearing sweaters and running shoes; we are still in the winter gear. BUT...the sun is shining and it is starting to warm up.

                                                                      Lily & Kane
Lily is doing ok. That's all I can say right now. I am taking her to the vet for another B12 shot this week and we will have her weighed at that time. I do hope she is putting on a bit of weight with the new food.

Easter is only 21 days away. Please take note of the following...

Cat-tip-of-the-day - Easter Lilies and cats (beware)

In spite of their beauty, Easter lilies are toxic and even one bite can be fatal for your cat.

Please read...

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-care/dangers-easter-lilies-cats

hugs, Deb

Roarin' all the way.

Well, March arrived like a lion and is 'roaring' all the way to the end. We woke again to a full-blown snow-storm this morning. The sound of weary neighbours blowing out their drive-ways accompanied the first cup of coffee. This is a good day to be home with projects to work on. Maybe I'll make an apple cake, dust the dining-room, get a bag ready for the thrift store.
Audrey is settled in to keep me company in the kitchen.

"Amuse me, woman"

Although the little Easter tree looks out of place with the snow falling outside the window, it does bring a little comfort as we wait out the real Spring weather. I have it sitting on my Duncan Phyfe for now but it will go atop the step-back cupboard where many paws cannot reach it unless they hang from the dining-room fixture and swing over in it's direction. This is something I do not put past Audrey or Joe.
Most of the ornaments are either glass or wood. Since it's existence, I buy an ornament each year to add to the little tree.

This is the first wooden ornament I bought 20 some years ago.

Here's a photo of little Gwyn listening as I explain to her all about the celebration of Easter. She especially loves the sound of the word "c.h.o.c.o.l.a.t.e" even though it will be awhile before she can indulge.

Lovin' those polka dots.

"Where is Spring? Anyone?"

I made a juice of kale, celery, strawberry, pineapple, grapes & banana. It was amazing. 

Now I'm all energized up to attack the 'dust bunnies' around here.

Enjoy your evening.

hugs, Deb

West-end Pottery Sale

On a dull, dark Saturday, what better way to spend it than to browse around at a pottery show.

There were many beautiful pieces; too many to mention, but I was on a mission to find a yarn bowl. Luckily, at the second booth I stopped at I found just what I needed.

                                                           Almost looks like a cat's tail.

Here is another little 'treat' I brought home today. A gorgeous three-coloured coffee mug with a fox on it which I thought at first was a cat. :-b But, on closer inspection it was a fox which was fine with me as Fox was my mother's maiden name. It's big but light in weight and will work great for that first morning cup.

I had a chat with the talented artist, Carol Holmes-Kerr, who made the beautiful yarn bowl that I purchased. What a lovely lady she is. She had a fun booth with some very funky little pieces.  She was very interested in my cat-sitting service as she is a cat-owner herself. She mentioned she has a blog at www.kerrpottery.blogspot.ca. If you love pottery, drop over and check it out.

Before leaving we filled in a form for a door prize which was a basket full of beautiful pottery. I have my toes and fingers crossed in hopes of winning that gorgeous prize. If I do, I promise I'll have a give-away just because.

I finished my scarf and it is so cozy. Comfy cozy. 

As you can see, our snow is melting.  Yes, finally. It's a dirty mess but no one is complaining.

Annie was very interested in helping me with my Easter tree this year. That is, after she tried to chew off the end of one of the branches. Okay....we'll have to see if I really do need her help finishing it.

Hope it's nice and sunny where you are.

If you are introducing a new cat to your resident cat, you will find a few tips on yesterdays post.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

hugs, Deb

Fun Friday and Cat-tip-for-the-day

You know I always have company in the kitchen of the feline sort and today was no exception. Every-time I turned around and looked at her I had to stop what I was doing to tickle that tummy.

"Hey Deb, did I ever tell you you look 90 from this angle?"

"Zip-it, Audrey"

Well, I do love this cat. She is a constant source of amusement and she brightens my day. That is, when she's not destroying the house. Once she is bored with snoopervising my morning, she will take to her hidey-hole and sleep away the afternoon.

                                       Sierra
Here's a Cat-tip-for-the-day =^..^=Introducing a new cat to the resident cat
Here are a few tips from someone who really does believe that baby-steps need to be taken.
First, put the new cat in a room of its' own with food, water and litter.
Give your resident cat time to get used to something being on the other side of the door.
Then rub down each cat with a sock. Be sure to rub around the cheeks where the scent glands are.
Put the opposite sock with the cats to watch the reaction of each cat.
Once they stop hissing (or they may not) from smelling the sock then switch rooms. Put the new cat in the room that the resident cat was in and the resident cat goes into the room where the new cat came out of. Let them roam around a bit getting used to each other's scent.

Think of it this way. If a person was to arrive at your home that you had never met would you feel more comfortable knowing something about this person before they arrive? Wouldn't you have lots of questions? Once being informed about this person would you not feel more comfortable once you meet? It is the same for the animals.

Before introducing them have on hand some treats and toys. There most likely will be some hissing so be prepared for that. Give the resident cat more attention and keep your eyes on that one mostly. If it looks like there will be an attack you should immediately put the new cat back into its' room and wait for another day to try this. This could take awhile so take your time with it. It could be up to two weeks or so before the cats can be left in a room unsupervised or you might be lucky and they like each other immediately. Remember....baby steps.

I was one spoiled Nana this week. Three days seeing our little Gwyn. She is first in line to check out the little Spring/Easter cupboard. We played and took photos and a tired little baby most likely slept all the way home.

Today she wore polka dot pants, polka dot shirt, polka dot sweater and a polka dot barrette. :)

Hope everyone has a good weekend. It's + weather all week-end. Yippee!
I'm joining up with Camera Critters at  http://camera-critters.blogspot.ca/
hugs, Deb

For Sophie - due to some problems I had with my email I wonder if you could give me another update on your kitty. Thanks.

I must eat my veggies to keep up with these cats.

Two of my latest kitty-clients.

                                                              *wink wink*

Shy little Angel and the lord of the house, Jewel.

I just returned the key to their owner and now I am off to care for a little tabby in the country.
At home, peace is still just around the corner. Rae-Rae has come into her own and now strutts around like she owns the place. She obviously picked that up from Joe who saunters like John Wayne. (Remember him?..oh!oh! just dated myself.) Annie still gives him the heave-ho but he's persistent. Sierra stays clear of them and yearns for Spring to sit on her front bench. Audrey has her trusty hidey-hole where she retreats to much of the day and Lily is too busy trying to get well and could care less about all of them. She is eating fine, though, but we are still worried.

The violets are off the table and the bunnies have taken over.

I tidied up the violets and placed them with Gwyn's photo.

Linda fromhttp://linda-keaveney.blogspot.ca/ says they will bloom sooner if I keep the dead heads clipped. "Thanks Linda". 

Less than a month 'til Easter. Will we have Spring by then ?

Apparently, today is the LAST cold day predicted for the next week. Surely, this is the end of winter weather. I am having a love/hate relationship with my winter clothes and am ready to toss them aside and pull out the lighter coat and shoes. Then my goal will be to walk off a pound or five...or ten.

I'm still enjoying our juicer, the Nutri-bullet. Mostly, I love that it cleans up in a minute. That is the one thing I hated about all other juicers I have owned. Too many parts to clean after every juicing.

As long as you love fruit and veggies you will make great use of this juicer. I do a lot of running around and can sure use the boost from my delicious drinks.

I am going to attempt to decorate an Easter Tree again this year. There are way too many monkeys in cat-suits roaming around here for me to think I can put it on a table but maybe I can hang it from the ceiling. haha!

OR...atop the step-back cupboard. 

"Look up, look way up..."

Enjoy your day.

Hugs, Deb

What made you smile today?

Knitting two of my favorite colours together

to make a wrap-scarf.

My kitchen company this morning watching me make a smoothie.

This beautiful clay Easter bunny pot 

Enjoying the last of the African Violet blooms

Finding one more surprise to add to my little cupboard for the grands at Easter.

Due to Audrey finding it and trying to make it her lunch, it is missing a few feathers.

Darling 'ol Lily sleeping after eating up all her prescribed breakfast. She loves it. :)

So far...so good.

Hope you had something to smile about, too.

hugs, Deb

Gwyn & an update on Lily

Gwyn and her Aunt Allie

Thanks for all the sweet comments on little Gwyn. She is a darling little girl who brightens up her nana's life. The above photo is of her and her buddy, Hugo. They really love each other and he is always by her side.

She visited again today and we had lots of fun. Her favorite thing to do is play with our pots with a wooden spoon. *bang, bang, crash, boom*


I received results from Lily's blood test yesterday.Life is about to change for our sweet Lil. She has been diagnosed with pancreatitis. It is chronic at this stage and I'm not really sure what to say right now. She will be on new low-fat food, both soft and dry.
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that alters the organs normal function and structure.
She is not in pain from what we can see and eating well again so her vet has suggested that we just carry on getting a B12 shot twice monthly and see how she does. It can go one way or the other at her age especially. Please keep her in your thoughts while we see how things develop in the next little while. She seems content and she cuddles up with one of us whenever the opportunity presents itself.  Lots of TLCC (tender-loving cat care) is needed for her now.

hugs, Deb

Where are you, Spring?

It may be Spring but you won't find any ice-cream shacks open for business. It was -6C when we took our dog, Kane, for a walk around Almonte on Sunday. I wanted to take some photos of the town but it was seriously too cold to stand for any length of time in the wind. We went for a hot coffee instead.
I hear we are to expect +7C by this Friday so hopefully we can bid winter farewell by then.

I picked up more seed and nuts for the birds and squirrels to help them through the next few weeks.
Annie has her favorite seat where she watches all the action in our maple tree.
But just like we are bored silly with this weather, they hold her interest for only so long before sleep takes over.

Look at that little Peach.

The start of Spring 2014

WHAT!!

Last year we were in sweaters.

Maybe a visit with someone very special will make things better.

After my final visit with Jewel and Angel (kitty-clients),  we enjoyed a few hours with little Gwyn. She is growing so fast. We gave her a little 'sprout' on top of her head with her barrette. She's the sweetest little doll. That's her mommy, Jess on the left and Aunt Allie on the right. Gwyn looks just like her daddy. 

Lucky girl.

She's such a happy little one and so is her nana when she gets to spend time with her. *grin*

Hope you are enjoying some sunshine.

hugs, Deb