Peaches

I don't normally buy peaches, but I've been pushing myself to try more and more new recipes, especially ones that seem daunting.  For my entire life, I've been using the same crust recipe I got from my mom.  It's flour, oil, and water.  It is SO easy to make.  But even though I have experimented quite a bit with flavoring it, I've been losing interest in it.  I really wanted to try to make a crust that actually uses butter instead of oil.  So I made a peach tart with a different crust.  I was fairly happy with how it turned out, but I think it would be better if the crust had been rolled out thinner.

Is it just me or does Laurelin look like she's in a painting?  I think she was tempted to try the peaches.  I didn't leave her with them long enough to find out.  Hahaha!

Tarmund looks so small next to these giant peaches!  He is such a cute little guy!

Well, if I'm honest, I can barely tell these two apart anymore.  The size difference isn't as obvious so the personality difference is all I have left.  It's easiest if I am interacting with both of them, but that doesn't always happen.  All that to say, I don't know if it was Fili or Kili that got stuck under the peaches, but it was pretty funny to watch!  I'm pretty sure Fili was stuck and Kili was eating his treat.

Purple Flowers

It's been a weird couple weeks and my schedule hasn't been followed well, so I didn't take pictures or post last week.  I've felt like I'm stuck in limbo with so many random things.  While I certainly am looking forward to having a more structured schedule again, I also really appreciate that I really can have a lot of flexibility in what I do.  But as always, striking a balance is my ultimate goal.

My mom gave me these pretty flowers from her yard.  Laurelin happily ate most of her lettuce before saving the rest for later.  She actually tried to eat the flowers so I got her away from them since I wasn't sure if that was a good idea, and I still needed them for pictures with the other hams.  😊

I really didn't think Tarmund was gonna eat the lettuce, but after thoroughly exploring, he came back for it.

These boys sniffed everything very carefully, occasionally nibbling on the lettuce and flowers, but didn't really stop and eat anything.

Favorite Treats

It doesn't take me long at all to figure out what my hamsters like the most.  I usually assume that if they stop what they are doing to eat a treat, than it is one of their favorites because they can't wait to eat some or all of it.

Laurelin is the most adventurous eater of my current hamsters.  I think as she has tried new things, what she considers to be her favorite treat has changed.  She used to be obsessed with pecans, but with this one, she stashed it in her cheek for later.  I'm pretty sure a bit of plain, cooked chicken is her favorite treat.  She freaks out if she can smell it on my fingers.  

Tarmund's favorite treat is walnuts.  He always manages to perfect the look of a happy grouch when he is eating a walnut.

Fili and Kili's favorite treat is also walnuts.  It's the only food I have found that will guarantee that they will sit still until they are done eating.  I especially love how happy Kili (right) always looks when he is eating walnuts.  He is such a happy blob.  😂

To Eat or Not to Eat

One part of pet ownership that I enjoy is observing and learning the different personalities and traits of my pets.  I like discovering their likes and dislikes, figuring out their favorite foods, and predicting how they'll handle a new situation.  With just a bit of time, it's easy to see that each pet is unique, no matter how small they are.

Laurelin loves romaine lettuce.  She happily ate a bit and stored the rest in her cheek.

Tarmund likes lettuce, but he generally only takes a few nibbles and doesn't bother to save the rest.

Fili and Kili still have never tried lettuce, but I continue to provide them opportunities because if they actually eat some, they might realize they love it or at least like it.

The Good verses the Bad

Sunday was an incredibly long day because we spent like 9 or 10 hours at church, and because we weren't home very much, we ended up eating lunch at 2:30 and supper at 10.  Despite being very tired, I wasn't able to fall asleep until about midnight.  So yesterday I threw out my schedule and slept in, which was SO nice!  Since I did my grocery shopping today instead of yesterday, I'm struggling to remember that today is actually Tuesday.  Thankfully my phone is reminding me of the things I'm supposed to be doing today, which includes going to the zoo for the first time this year!  Yay!!  😁

Laurelin is so good at sitting still while being adorable, so I can easily get great pictures of her.  She also has the cutest little expressions on her face.  😊

Whenever Tarmund has space to run, I have to wait for a few minutes until he is done exploring and ready to take a break in order for me to actually get pictures of him in focus.  😂

Fili and Kili also like to run and explore if they have the space to do so.  And since there are two of them, it can be incredibly difficult to get them both facing the same way and in focus.  I clearly gave up trying to get the "perfect" picture of them.  😄

Happy Gotcha Day to Laurelin!

Today is Gotcha Day for my sweet Laurelin!  I can't believe I've had her for a year now!  She's definitely showing her age, but she is just as sweet as the day I brought her home from the ACC.  I was initially hesitant to go to the ACC to meet her because of how old she already was (she was listed as 8 months old).  In the back of my head, I always thought I'd love to have a full year with her so I could at least celebrate that milestone.  However, without knowing any of her history, especially anything related to why she was dropped off at the ACC, I decided it would be best if I didn't get my hopes up of having her for very long.  But Laurelin has surprised me in so many ways.  Despite her age, she still climbs on top of her water bottle when she wants attention.  She's been my chunky sweetheart since day 1.  I love her so much!  ❤

Tarmund is actually a fairly grumpy ham that does NOT like sharing his space with ANYTHING.  He was difficult to tame, but he is SO sweet.  However, he actually is still very territorial when he is in his tank, so I still wear gloves to get him out.  😬 😂

Fili and Kili (who came from an accidental litter born at the ACC) are still loving living together.  Fili (on the right) has finally figured out that the hand that reaches in to pick him up is also the hand that gives him food, so he doesn't run away from me any more and instead runs to me.  Kili (on the left) has never minded being picked up, is clearly still obsessed with food.  His roundness has made me check his gender more times than I'd like to admit.  😂