Blogiversary

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Just wanted to pop in and say hi and acknowledge my Blogiversary (2 days late).  Yeah, so much for weekly updating as stated in the first post.  I don't know where I thought I'd fit in daily posts! HA! 

I'll be back Monday with a new post including some Christmas crafts I've been working on and a few Owly finds. 

Owly Monday: The return

Its been nonstop since I've last posted.  I haven't had a day off since I began working again! Granted, I do get home from my shifts at Macy's around 12 or 3 so there is some down time, but this waking up at 5 am is getting to me! I know, it's a good thing I don't have kids or an hour commute.  I really am enjoying my work at the zoo and feeling more and more comfortable around all the new people.  We'll see how it goes when show season starts and when we start doing more programs for audiances.  I've done a few animal handling  events (Children's Hospital, a small nursery Halloween event and the grand opening of the new Outlet Mall).  I really hope a fulltime position comes up soon because I don't know if I can take this 2 job thing after Christmas.

I finally got to enjoy a day of on Friday!  I did absolutely nothing. 

Ok, I did make some yummy food.

Pumpkin Pancakes

We apparently used half the bag of white chocolate chips so I had to substitute a half bag of regular chocolate chips.  These are soooooooo tastey.  I don't remember where I got the recipe, but here it is:

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.  Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into squares.

My Zoo boss gave me the recipe for the pancakes from a magazine:

Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
2 cups dry pancake mix
3tbsp dark-brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp vegetable oil

In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, brown sugar and pumpkin-pie spice. 
In another bowl, mix the milk, pumpkin, egg, vanilla extract and oil. 
Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. 
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or pan on medium high.  Pour the batter onto the griddle/pan and cook until bubbles appear in the batter and edges brown.  Flip and cook until other side is browned. 
Makes about 20 pancakes.

Sam and I have been watching a lot of horror movies in honor of Halloween.  I have yet to find one that scares me.  They all make me laugh with their rediculous gore and crappy acting.  I don't think Sam wants to watch anymore with me because I laugh and sort of ruin it for him.  Some of the recent BAD ones were:

Daughters of Satan (1970's) - I couldn't thru the first 30 minutes.

An American Haunting

The Haunting of Molly Hartely

Hard Candy (not really horror but close enough)

Terror Train (1980 w/ Jamie Lee Curtis)

Drag Me to Hell

Candyman (sorry Sam)

Horror movies I love:

Zombieland

Hellraiser

the classics/standards (Exocist, Poltergeist, Psycho, The Birds)

Halloween

Return to Horror High (its bad I know, but its badness makes it good)

Evil Dead (same as Horror High)

Rocky Horror Picture Show 

I really do love Halloween.  But I never get to enjoy it anymore.  We're both always working and don't get to go to any parties so dressing up would be pointless.  I'd love to decorate more, but we're never home to enjoy it.  One day we will.

 I hope everyone had a great Halloween!  And its time to start thinking about the holidays!  I've got so much on my to make list.  I hope 2 months is enough!

Owly Whatever day it is... :)

Its a completely new week in the Woods.  Not only am I working at Macy's, but I'm also a Birmingham Zoo employee!  I'm super excited and soooooo glad to be working again.  I've already started at Macy's and will start at the Zoo on Thursday!

I haven't done much in the way of crafting this week.  I made a fall wreath for the door.  I just got a grapevine wreath and Owl at Joann's and some VERY on sale fall picks and ribbon at Michaels .  The Owl is still a little wobbely since I just hot glued it; I'll probably thread some floral wire through it and attach it to the wreath. 

Hope everyone has a great week!



End of an Era/New Beginning

I must say it has been a wild and crazy summer.  June, July and August were super busy at the Center.  There have been a lot of changes there.  A lot of personal difficulties.  I went on vacation at the end of August/beginning September and came back to work and BAM! They let me go.  After everything I'd been through with them.  6 different Executive directors in 3 years. Almost shutting completely down.  Removal of the mammal program.  6 baby seasons.  I really don't know why.  They gave me a vague reason, but they couldn't back it up and wouldn't tell me what I'd done.  I have my theories (money and certain people). I lived and breathed that place 24/7 and was passionate about the cause, so it was like they ripped my heart out and turned my world inside out and upside down.  I don't stand for a cause anymore.   I've been heartbroken this past month and I've sort of lost myself.  I haven't been able express my love of all things Owly as much and I can't seem to get excited about birds or enjoy birdwatching anymore. 

I just don't know what to do with myself. 

I've had a lot of good feedback and support from a few of my former coworkers and a lot of love and support from many of the volunteers.  Some of them questioned whether they should continue to spend their time there, but I encouraged them to stay if they enjoyed it and because the birds need the help now more than ever.  And I definately couldn't have gotten through this without my families support. 

I immediately started applying for jobs.  I've had a phone and inperson interview with the Zoo for a part-time position and am waiting to hear anyday now from them (they've called my references this week).  I interviewed and accepted a part-time position at Macy's for the season and just to get me by.  Hopefully I can get the keeper postition at the Zoo and work up to a full-time position.

On to more positive things....

I am slowly getting back on track.  I've decided that it will have to be a homemade Christmas this year and trying to get gift ideas together for the family.  

I also managed to celebrate a BIG birthday this month.  Not the happiest I've had, but I always love birthdays.  Of course nothing could top last years birthday which was celebrated in Tanzania, Africa.

They had a few other Owl items, but I didn't have much left on my card.  I also used my birthday $5 off $20 coupon.

And since September 23rd was the first day of Autumn I made Some Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Bars.  They really turned out to be more like Paula Dean's Gooey Pumpkin Bars and probably could have used a higher temperature, but they are soooooo tastey and rich!

(and yes, thats a Pumpkin candle in the background)

This blog will become my motivation to get back on track and start doing what I love again.



Bad Owl

I've been such a baaaaad blogger the past few weeks.  (sorry mom!)  I really don't have any good excuses.  Work has been busy and I've just been lazy. Apologies all around!

I really like this lamp from Target.  We have such an assortment of lamps that don't go together...they all need to be replaced with these!  (Sam would just LOVE that!)

On to Newsworthy stuff...

If you're not living under a rock, you've heard about the economic and ecological disaster happening in the Gulf of Mexico.  As I type, oil is washing up on the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and getting extremely close to Texas and Florida.  As a rehabber, the images shown on the news is devestating and heartbreaking.  I want to do something.  I have to do something.  The Alabama Wildlife Center is currently on hold, waiting for the call for help from the officials at the Theodore Oiled Bird Station near Mobile, Alabama.  I'll hopefully be attending an orientation today to visit the facility and get aquanted with it. 

Those facilities are paid for by BP, but the paraprofessionals and those with experience who have signed up to help are doing so voluntarily.  AWC must somehow find the funds to send its animal care staff and experienced volunteers in order to help.  This is especially difficult during the busy time of year when we get at least 5 animals in a day and have hundreds of baby birds and many baby raptors to feed. 

So please, donate to your local wildlife rehabilitators who desperately need the funds so that they can send those people who are experienced in dealing with wildlife.

You can search thru the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Associations website to find a local rehabber.

You can designte funding for Oil Spill Relief for AWC on the website.

This is going to be a loooong, hard, heartbreaking road that will have to be traveled for many years to come.  I hope that people won't forget about this even after some other national newsmaker hits the airwaves.