Month: July 2013

Furbaby Adventures: Netherland dwarf bunny; clean bill of health

Aynaria 2 Comments

Saturday morning, before we went to Amazing Glaze to paint cups for cancer patients, we were at the Animal Hospital. Oreo, is a Netherland dwarf bunny whom we adopted from the Harford County Humane Society -nine days ago.  I’d scheduled the appointment, since she needed to get a Health & Wellness check-up.

Netherland Dwarf Rabbit - Oreo_1
Yes, I know I’m adorable!

 

Oreo’s check up went well and her vet told us to keep doing what we’re doing. While there, I did schedule an appointment for her to be spayed so Oreo will be going back to the animal hospital two weeks from now.

Rabbit & Guinea Pig. Oreo and Angel_1
Why… hello there? What are you?

 

Since she received a clean bill of health from her doctor. I thought a proper introduction to our furbabies was in order. Oreo an Angel were able to hang out for a few hours.

Netherland Dwarf Rabbit - Oreo_7
Oreo matches my daughter’s blanket!

 

And although they were polite and got a chance to do more than sniff each other, both of them were interested in doing their own thing. Oreo was content to scamper about my daughter’s room being adorable and getting into everything she possibly could!

What about Angel?

Guinea pig-Angel playing in shredded paper
Angel loves to burrow and play in her shredded paper box. If you look closely, you’ll see one red eye peeping out at me. 🙂

 

Well… Ms. Angel was happy as a pig in a box of shredded paper!

There’s one furbaby missing and that would be Bentley, our Shih Tzu. We’ll be letting them hang out sometime tomorrow.

Believe Big: Painting mugs for cancer patients at Amazing Glaze

Aynaria 4 Comments

Today my daughter, her friend O and I went to Amazing Glaze and designed and painted cups for cancer patients.  If you’ve been following this site for some time, you might already know that I  knit hats for cancer patients and NICU babies, but participating in being creative with the cups we paint means my daughter ( and her friends when we invite them) can participate also. You can decorate/paint the cup however you like and the only requirement is that you include the word, Believe, somewhere on the cup.

Believe Big, is the organization that partners with numerous crafty companies to make this possible. I learned about Believe Big, through the Small Group Leader at the Lutheran Church where I’m a member. We arrived late. Why? That morning, my daughter’s friend had a swim meet but since I’d let the organizer know in advance, there were chairs/table set aside for all three of us. It was nice to see church members, from various ministry groups all getting creative at Amazing Glaze.

Believe Big is a wonderful organization. I really the statement (that I’ve included below) that appears on their website…

What Are Believe Mugs?
Believe Big is passionate about encouraging patients and their families to seek God in the midst of their pain. We bring spiritual and emotional refreshment to patients by distributing Believe Mugs that are hand-painted by children and adults within our community. Each beautifully decorated mug contains the “I Will Have No Fear” prayer.
Our prayer is that each time a patient uses a mug, he or she is reminded to believe that with God all things are possible, and that people within the community care. With your help we will be able to encourage over 1,000 patients and their families this year!

 

What a powerful message and it’s so true, anything is possible with God.

You want to know something? Initially, I thought I’d be waiting on my daughter and her friend to finish designing their mugs, but much to my surprise, they were finished before me!  They waited (somewhat impatiently) for me to complete mine. Once our cups were finished they were set aside to be glazed and eventually passed on to the Believe Big organization.

There are several businesses within Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York, that contribute to this wonderful organization, so if you’re in one of these states and would like to become involved with something such as this. Check to see if there are businesses within your area that offer this service.

The lady that took care of us, told me that the mugs from our group would be posted on Facebook. I haven’t been on there in a few days, but I’ll be sure to log on and check out what others have created. I must say the people that worked at Amazing Glaze were extremely friendly. I liked the it so much that my daughter and I will be going back there to make personalized mugs for ourselves.

Adventures in Food: She’s craving nori…

Aynaria 5 Comments
Nori Sheets
Nori Sheets

My daughter absolutely loves nori! From the time she was born until she was about three it’s something that was part of her weekly food rotation. As an infant, she was introduced to it since I nursed her.

Wrapping a variety of items into nori sheets was convenient since it turned most meals that needed to be eaten with utensils to something that could easily be consumed since the food was contained in its own portable roll.

While nori is commonly used to make sushi, we rarely use it that way. My daughter’s favorite way to eat nori is plain. The girl can go through several sheets of it daily, if I’d let her. Besides eating it plain we also use it instead of bread wraps. Sometimes I’ll grind it up and sprinkle over salads or various meals I prepare. I also use it to hold various seed/nut cheeses; sunflower, cashew, almond, etc.,

Over the years, I haven’t been as diligent in purchasing nori as I used to be. We eat a large variety of food. But, earlier today I ordered it just for my daughter.  My daughter has been craving these for weeks. I’m not the only one in this house that has food cravings. I can’t wait too see her face when she receives her beloved Nori. I like surprising my daughter and while the things I give her isn’t always extravagant, I must say they’re always appreciated by her. For her, it’s the thought that matters.

Craving Indian food; pakoras

Aynaria 4 Comments
gram-flour
Gram Flour

Pakoras are one of my all time favorite Indian snacks.

Who would think combining a few vegetables together, dipping them into gram flour (chickpea) and frying/baking could turn out such a delightful snack.  Of course I knew that you don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a delicious meal. Many of the foods I prepare use four ingredients or less.

In the past, the pakoras I’ve made have been (usually) pan fried. Since we don’t eat them often I’m not worried about packing on the excess poundage. Since pakoras have been on my brain for the past week or so, I do believe I’ll finally get around to making them today.

So… I guess you can add pakoras to my list of recent cravings that I’ve finally decided to make at home. I’ll be sure to post pictures.!

Last week, I made baked curried lentil burgers and vegan ranch fries to satisfy my food cravings. And this morning, I made  my modified version of V8 juice. Good thing I like  to cook, I rarely follow a recipe. I have more fun creating my own.

Adventures in Gardening: Vegetable smoothie

Aynaria 6 Comments

I prefer savory foods to sweets and so this morning I gathered some tomatoes, romaine lettuce and garlic from our garden and made them into a vegetable smoothie. The taste was similar to a V8 juice.

Garden - tomatoes, lettuce and garlic
Produce: Fresh from our garden

 

I could have added cucumbers and dark leafy greens like kale, collard or dandelion, but I didn’t feel like going outside to pick them. It had started raining. I combined everything (16 ounces of water, 3 tomatoes, 2 large cloves of garlic, ground raw pumpkin seeds, two handfuls of romaine lettuce and some added spices/seasonings)  into my Vita-Mix.

Within a few seconds I had my own vegetable smoothie. Similar to V8 juice, but without the high sodium content that (usually) runs rampant in that beverage.

And although the vegetable smoothie was simple, I must say it was packed with a variety of nutrients.

Health Benefits: Garlic

  • Garlic can help reduce your cholesterol
  • Garlic boosts your immune system
  • Raw garlic eliminates some intestinal parasites
  • Garlic boosts your immune system
  • Garlic lowers your blood pressure

Health Benefits: Romaine Lettuce

  • Romaine lettuce is a rich source of Iron, protein, Calcium, Omega 3’s, rich in B vitamins, A and K
  • Romaine lettuce contains a lot of water

Health Benefits: Pumpkin Seeds

  • Pumpkin seeds can reduce your risk of cancer
  • Pumpkin seeds are antimicrobial and anti fungal
  • Raw pumpkin seeds is used to expel internal parasites
  • Great source of vitamins and minerals

Health Benefits: Tomato

  1. Tomatoes are high in potassium, vitamin A, C and E
  2. Tomatoes reduce the risk of heart disease
  3. Tomatoes protects against thrombosis (blood clots in the blood vessels)
  4. Tomatoes are high in fiber

References:

  1. The Worlds Healthiest Foods:  What’s New and Beneficial about Garlic?
  2. Mercola: Chemists Shed Light on Health Benefits of Garlic
  3. SFGate: Benefits of Eating Raw Pumpkin Seeds
  4. Science Daily: Health Benefits of Eating Tomatoes Emerge
  5. World’s Healthiest Foods: Romaine Lettuce

 

Furbaby adventures: Rabbit name change, settling in, and more bunny adventures…

Aynaria 3 Comments

Well our bunny, Freya,  is no longer going by that name. The day after we ok I decided on “Freya” we went with the middle name that my daughter had given her.

Dwarf Bunny Freya_2

 

So allow me to reintroduce  our rabbit “Oreo.” The name fits, since she’s black and white, just like a traditional Oreo cookie.

Bunny Behavior

Scent Marking

Bunnies have scent glands under their chin. Watch out, they’ll lay claim to many things in your house! Marking doesn’t leave a scent that you can detect. If you’re around them for any length of time, you most likely will see them rubbing their chin on various items. Oreo has marked many things within the house; including my daughter and me.

Binkying

A true sign that your bunny is happy. Oreo started binkying the day we brought her home from the Humane Society. I’d like to think that she was thanking use for rescuing her.

Bunny Flop/Roll

It’s so cute to watch bunnies do this.  When they do this take that as another compliment, since they are leaving their stomachs exposed, it means they are somewhere that makes the feel safe. Rabbits are prey animals, they normally won’t exhibit this behavior unless perfectly at ease in the wild.

What do Rabbits eat?

If you think the main thing they eat is carrots, you’d be wrong. Your rabbits diet should mainly consist of hay. The type we feed her is timothy and oat hay. In addition to hay, we give Oreo washed leafy greens daily. Currently, we aren’t giving her pellets. As an occasional treat we’ll give her some carrots or a few slices of apples.

Parasite Cleanse

One of the first things I did when we brought Oreo home was to deworm her.  Mr. B and Angel are already on a deworming program, so you know I was bringing Oreo on board too. The good news is, I did see visible parasites in some of her pellets (aka feces.) Since not all parasites are seen by the naked eye, there might have been some I didn’t see. Parasite cleanses are also important for people.

Contrary to some folks belief, internal parasites aren’t a problem that only affects people in “third world” countries or extremely poor folks. In this household we eat a lot of anti-parasitic foods; garlic, pumpkin seeds, onion, thyme, sage, etc. on a daily basis, but occasionally I kick that up a few notches. More about that in a later post.

 

Resources:

  1. My House Rabbit: Hay for Rabbits:  What to Feed Pet Bunny Rabbits
  2. My Bunny: Health Concerns for Your Rabbit
  3. Alive: Health; Parasites Unwanted Guests
  4. Video: Parasites Eating Us Alive

Adventures in Beekeeping; Honeybees are looking great!

Aynaria 6 Comments

I’ve been so busy writing about bunny rabbits, knitting, sewing and  vegan cuisine I haven’t been posting about my adventures in beekeeping.

The honeybees are going strong! Because of the recently hatched adults (mostly workers) there’s a buzz of activity inside/outside the hive. I observe them daily, watching hive activity is truly amazing. Admittedly for this new beekeeper, it’s also reassuring to see them like this. I have an active hive that is thriving and their numbers are continually increasing!

Bouncers: You shall not pass!

Outside the hive is alive with activity. I see a tiny cloud of the foragers (about 100 or so) some are flying away to gather nectar and others are returning once the are loaded with pollen/nectar. The guard bees do their thing and inspect every honeybee before she enters the hive. That’s their job. I think of them as bouncers. Bees that belong to a hive share a certain smell, if the guard bee doesn’t detect this scent the worker bee might get rejected. Of course, they will usually make exceptions for honeybees that have mistakenly gone to the hive bearing gifts (nectar/pollen.) They’re not going to turn down free food!

Honeybees with pollen baskets are one of the cutest things to see. The pollen attached to their legs reminds me of leg warmers. The few insects, that I have observed, attempting to enter the hive have not received a warm welcome from the guard bees.

Undertaker

Undertaker Honeybees

I didn’t see any dead honeybees, the last time I opened up my Warre hive. However, I did see a few dead honeybees about 100 feet away from the hive. So why weren’t any inside the hive? The honeybees remove them. The worker bees all have jobs in their home, none of the females shirk their duties. They’re all hard workers. One of the duties assigned to some bees is keeping the hive clean. Part of keeping the hive clean is removal of dead honeybees.

I must say, that it is truly fascinating to observe the honeybees that are assigned the job as an “undertaker.” I’ve actually seen them carry the honeybees outside the hive. to their “honeybee graveyard.” The neighboring ants have  quickly learned about this spot and I can see ant activity within that area. There’s not always a dead bee, but sometimes they get lucky. Then you’ll see  a flurry of activity as the quickly cart of  bee to add to their food supply.

peacelove.concept.01

Let the Honeybees be Honeybees!

I firmly believe that beekeepers can do more harm than good, by constantly interfering with honeybees home. You won’t see me doing that.  Relax, take it down a thousand! Let the bees do their thing and be BEES!!! They know how to this better than we do.

Because of my hands off approach, I won’t be inside my Warre hive that much. However, I most likely will check on them this weekend just to ensure everything looks fine inside the hive. I’ll be on the lookout for wax moths, verroa mites, and any other signs of trouble.

But judging by the hives healthy & vibrant community I shouldn’t have anything to worry about.