fff~thankful

It's Friday and time for saying thanks with Susanne at Living To Tell The Story. 

1. Roger and I had appointments in Halifax on Monday - the day after a nasty ice-storm.

crossing the Confederation Bridge

 The sky was lovely and clear but everything was still coated with ice.

The roads were probably the worst we've ever travelled on.

Nova Scotia mountains

So thankful we made the trip safely -  we just drove slowly - which helped for the "through the car window" photo shoot!

2. Healthy and tasty suppers that are quick to throw together ~ like this stir-fry veggie, egg and cheese dish.

3. A favourite new muffin that I showed you last week. Here's the recipe as promised.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats (more or less)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 cup almond flakes (optional)
• 1 cup blueberries (optional)

Blend the wet ingredients - add the dry. Don't overmix. Bake at 350 until golden.  Makes around 14- 18 muffins. This recipe is not an exact one. I shift it up every time I make it. Almonds one time - raisins the next - all milk one time - yogurt and milk the next time. But it always turns out. Very moist and delicious!

PS - a little update on the muffins. If you leave yogurt out -  add 2/3 cup milk.  I add the Greek yogurt to really load up the protein content - there's 18 gm of protein in a serving of Greek yogurt. So good for you!

4. A sweet hubby and dad who always remembers both his girls on Valentine's day.

Valentine blooms

Beautiful spring-time colours!

Makes my heart happy.

5. A lovely woods walk. Later this morning I'm heading back to this trail with my brother and another friend.

Such a quiet and peaceful place.

My brother is an avid birder - I'm the camera-woman - we're on the lookout for one of these.

Pileated Woodpecker - WikipediaMy camera batteries are all charged. Hope we find one!! I'll let you know if we're successful.

Well, that's it for my fff this week. Hope you enjoyed your visit! Thanks so much for coming by.

Happy weekend!

with love,

Comments

[Faith]

Oh I HOPE you see and capture on camera a pileated woodpecker...I've only seen one in the woods once...and Dave and I couldn't believe the NOISE that guy made!! lol.....so glad you had safe travels...just showed my husband these pics over breakfast....and reminded him I really wanna get to PEI very soon!! he kind of just rolls his eyes at me....(because of the distance from our house)....but I am determined to visit...it's number one on my bucket list of places to visit before I turn 55. (I'm 52). thanks for sharing your beautiful world with us! happy weekend!

[Pamela Gordon]

Hi Kathie, I saw that PEI got a bad ice storm last weekend. Not good for driving for sure but the ice coated scenery makes beautiful photos. I hope you find a pileated woodpecker to photograph. I heard one this week. Their sound is very distinct. Have a great weekend. P.S. I am wondering if I'll still be able to follow you when things change March 1. Pamela

[jill]

We had this wood peckers in our backyard in Houston. When we first moved there I thought jackhammers were going all around our neighborhoid but never saw any torn up concrete. Finally saw a woodpecker in action, that solved the missing jackhammer mystery! Those bird are LOUD!
Useful tip for cold weather-out in the snowy woods photography time: Stick an air activated footwarming or hand warming pad around your camera's battery area. Otherwise the battery drains super fast...even if it is fully charged it can to "dead" in twenty minutes outside. Used to drive me bonkers during winter hikes and outside events.

[Lovella]

Such a great tip from Jill on keeping those batteries cozy.
I love your photos..always. I haven't ever seen your woodpecker here. The only wildlife I saw yesterday was a black squirrel and a rabbit...blazing a trail across the lawn.

I'm glad you make it back and forth to Halifax safe and sound. Those storms seem to come at the most least wanted times.

[Susanne]

What gorgeous pictures of the woods and of the highway drive. But how scary! I hate icy roads and would have been white knuckling it the whole way. Hope you find that gorgeous bird.

[ellen b]

Oh I do hope you find one, too. What a pretty bird. So thankful you made it slow and easy on those roads. I am not a fan of icy roads!! Beautiful flowers and photos of them!
Have a great weekend.

[Carrie, Living Like a Narnian]

Glad you all had a safe trip on those amazingly icy roads! Yikes!

Love that your camera is all charged up and ready for adventure! Best wishes spotting that bird!!

[anneliese]

Beautiful blooms! Love the Cinderella card matching the table runner.
Enjoy the bird hunt!

[Judy]

So glad you made your trip on icy roads safely! Beautiful pic's!

I got a great photo of a pileated woodpecker on Savary Island last fall (along British Columbia's Sunshine Coast).

[Jerri]

Ice storms make everything so beautiful - if you don't have to go anywhere!

Thanks for sharing the muffin recipe - I wonder if we could talk you into sharing the stir-fry recipe? It looks so yummy!

[Bluerose]

Wow! I LOVE all the beautiful pictures over here! That stir-fry does look good.

[Gattina]

Beautiful landscape and flowers ! Your muffin makes my mouth water !

[Pamela]

I'll be trying the muffins today and perhaps the veggies, egg and cheese tonight, thanks for the ideas. Love the pics especially those from the car window. Have a lovely week Kathie.

[susan]

Icy roads are sooooo scary to drive on. Glad you guys made it safely both ways.

Thanks for posting your muffin recipe. Like Pamela, I will be making them (although not today b/c I am with my gluten-, dairy-, and egg-free daughter for a few days.) Thanks for letting us know that you can use all milk as I don't usually have yoghurt on hand anymore.

The woods photos are awesome. Good luck finding your woodpecker!

[Kim]

Oh Kathie, I can't believe you guys drove to Halifax the day after the storm! But what do you do when it's probably long-awaited for appts? Glad you made it safe and sound.
I love Pileated Woodpeckers. I've not seen any since we moved here and would be delighted to. Their size is so impressive!
It's snowing right now - I hope you and Roger are staying INSIDE!

[DonnaTN]

Hi Kathie, I'm bad about not commenting very often, but I do love your blog. It always has beautiful sentiments, photos and recipes. It is a peaceful and calm oasis in an often harried day. I hope you find the woodpecker. I was in my yard one afternoon several years ago when I heard a different bird call. I looked up in the tree and saw this beautiful bird. It was such a gift. He didn't stay long and I haven't seen him since, but maybe once was enough.

[nikkipolani]

So much colourful loveliness in your week! Your wintry view made me shiver.