My husband lost his job in California and we were forced to move to Las Vegas and short sell our home of 8 years. Fast forward 9 months and another job is gone. So now we are on a journey to reinvent our "life" in Phoenix.
In honor of Presidents' Day, here are some interesting facts about Presidents, that you may or may not already know:
Bushu-Suru (literally translated 'to do the Bush thing') is a Japanese word for public vomiting due to the 1992 incident where George W. Bush vomited at a dinner party held at the Japanese Prime Ministers home.
In 1967, Ronald Reagan began eating jelly beans to help him give up a pipe smoking habit. Three-and-a-half tons of Jelly Bellies were shipped to the White House for the 1981 Inaugural festivities. Blueberry, one of the most popular current flavors, was developed for President Reagan’s inauguration so that there would be red, white and blue jelly beans at the festivities.
Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
George Washington only received the equivalent of an elementary school education.
George Washington
Jimmy Carter was the first President to be born in a hospital.
Jimmy Carter
James Madison was the shortest President of the United States, standing at only 5'4". He never weighed more than 100 pounds.
James Madison
Three presidents died on July 4th: Thomas Jefferson (1826), John Adams (1826), and James Monroe (1831).
James Garfield could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other hand, simultaneously.
The three best known Western names in China are Jesus Christ, Elvis Presley, and Richard Nixon.
Elvis Presley
Richard Nixon
Jesus Christ
Abraham Lincoln was the first president to ever be photographed at his inauguration. In the photo, he is standing near John Wilkes Booth, his future assassin.
Abraham Lincoln's Inauguration
No president has ever been an only child.
Every so often, Calvin Coolidge would press all the buttons on the President’s desk and hide and watch his staff run in. He would then pop out from behind the door and say that he was just seeing if everyone was working.
Calvin Coolidge
Gerald Ford was the first person to be both vice president and president without being elected by the people. He was appointed vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned and he succeeded to the presidency when Nixon resigned.
As if my initial Valentine's project wasn't enough, I decide to make something for the kids' teachers too! I stumbled upon the idea on Pinterest. The original project was supposed to be an idea for wedding favors, but I thought they would make cute teacher gifts for Valentine's Day.
First we assembled all of the supplies.......
Corn Syrup, Gelatine, Flour, Bird Seed and Jute
We mixed up all of the ingredients and pressed some of the mixture into a greased cookie cutter. Then we poked a hole in it with a chopstick and removed the cookie cutter. We did this over and over until all the mixture was used. We let them dry over night on wax paper and then tied a length of jute on them for a hanger.
We packaged them in a plastic bag and decorated it with more jute and a tag.
We made enough to give 2 bird feeders to all three of Connor's teachers, Madison's teacher, the school nurse and the principal. Hopefully, they all enjoy birds in their yard!
As you may or may not already know, I make my own dog food. Not just occasionally, but all of it. The only time I ever step into a pet store, is for poo bags. I know, I know, I could reuse grocery bags, but there is nothing worse than picking up a steaming pile of dog poo only to find out that there is a hole in the bag and you just stuck your finger in it. Meanwhile, you are 2 miles away from home with nothing to wipe the poo on.....so you walk all the way home with your fingers outstretched making sure that you don't touch anything, trying not to think about the poo on your fingers (not to mention the hole in the bag, from which the poo could rub up against your pants). Store bought poo bags.......WORTH.......EVERY......PENNY......enough said!
Anyway, dog food. I make my own. From human grade food. My dog eats better than a lot of humans. I do not, however spend a lot of money on said homemade dog food. I buy whole chickens when they are around 69 cents per pound and I keep them in my freezer. I have various recipes, some use rice, some use barley and oats others use potatoes. A while ago, I read that if you cook a whole chicken in a pressure cooker, the bones turn to mush and the dog can eat them. This is a great source of nutrients and calcium. I had been wanting to try it for a while but I didn't have a pressure cooker.
Last weekend, we were out shopping and my Mum decided to buy me a pressure cooker. I got it home and decided to go online to do more research about making dog food in a pressure cooker. While looking, I stumbled upon a video on YouTube by a veterinarian who has written a book about cooking for dogs. I watched the video and to my surprise, you can can cook a dog food stew in your slow cooker, using a whole chicken and the bones break down. I couldn't wait to try it out, after all, I love my slow cooker. And, I didn't have to learn how to use a new piece of equipment.
This is what I put in my slow cooker:
1 Whole Chicken
Giblets from Whole Chicken
1 Large Sweet Potato, Scrubbed and Cut into Large Chunks
1 Large Russet Potato, Scrubbed and Cut into Large Chunks
1 Can of Green Beans with Liquid
2 Large Carrots Scrubbed and Cut into Chunks
1 1/2 Cups Frozen Corn
1 1/2 Cups Frozen Peas
1 Tbsp Dried Rosemary
Water to Cover Ingredients
I put the slow cooker on low for 20 hours (that's not a typo, you need to cook for 12 -24 hours to break down the bones) and then I mashed the stew with a potato masher and voila.......
Healthy chicken stew packed with nutrients. I tested the bones just to make sure they were safe. The small bones just disintegrated into the stew and the larger bones are the consistency of a dog biscuit.
I switched up the recipe a bit based on what I have learned about the health benefits of various vegetables for dogs. Here is the original recipe by Dr. Greg:
I guess we will be returning that pressure cooker! View my other dog food recipes here.
