Spring is just around the corner

Mr Freeze opened yesterday. If you aren't from the area, this isn't a big deal. But in Perrysburg, this is a sure sign Spring is near. Mr. Freeze is the best (and affordable) ice cream in the area. Yesterday was cold, 40-60mph hour wind and the line to get a cone was down the street. Yes, Spring is near. Mr. Freeze has opened :) I'm not quite that crazy, we made an ice cream cone out of french toast and bananas at home to celebrate. We also made bird feeders!

A few days ago, after a walk down the street, Gavin cam home with a pinecone and I've been promising him for days that we would make a birdfeeder with it. You know, roll it in peanut butter and then birdseed and hang it from a tree.

But then a coworker posted a link on a much cuter, more fun way to make bird feeders. We weren't even working together that day. It was meant to be. So we did it.

We had everything at the house we needed except some corn syrup. (which I not that long ago pitched in the garbage because it had been sitting for years and thought I'd never use it) It's cheap. And now I'll keep it until the bottle is gone. Teach me to throw things away.

What was needed:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 TBS corn syrup

4 cups bird seed

cookie sheet

nonstick cooking spray 

cookie cutters

(I pre-measured the flour, water and bird seed so Gavin could easily pour it in)

Stir everything but the bird seed until well combined in a large bowl.

Then add the birdseed

And mix well.

 Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray and pour the seed mixture onto cookie sheet.

Flatten out the seed mixture.

(I left it to firm up for about 45 min before attempting shapes)

Maybe we didn't measure or mix correctly, but it wouldn't hold a shape at first.

Use cookie cutters to cut different shapes from the seed mixture. We used straws to make a little hole in each one.

(The scraps were not wasted. We tossed some in the bird house out back and some in the yard)

 After drying overnight, we are ready to string some twine through them and hang them from some branches to welcome our bird friends back for warm weather.