Runs on Coffee and Cream

After chatting with a fellow red-eared slider owner it hit me how old our little turtles are. They're almost two years old and for some reason it doesn't feel like we've had them that long. But it makes sense since we're able to tell the sex of each of them now (well, we're like 90% sure).

Tank has continued to have the wider and darker coloured shell. In the last couple of months he's grown gigantic, Freddy Krueger-like nails which is a sign that he's male. As well as his tail is longer and thicker. He's actually the calmer turtle of the two. We can pick him up to check out his shell or compare size no problem.




Koopa on the other hand hates being handled. Koopa squirms and fidgets which makes it hard to photograph her. I say 'her' but we're still not 100% positive Koopa is female. But since there's no crazy long nails and the tail is smaller, we're assuming Koopa is female. We're just going to watch her as she gets to be full grown in case there's a chance Koopa just hasn't hit sexual maturity yet. But if you compare the two of them, Koopa seems to be female. Koopa has kept the brighter colours, though she's not as bright green as when we first got her. I absolutely love the gold colour that trims both their shells.




Later this year we'll be transferring them to their giant aquarium which I'm pretty excited for. Adding in a new dock and rocks will be fun. Plus it'll be great for them to have so much room to swim. Right now they're dominating their current aquarium. Their heater and filter are constantly being moved and Tank has the time of his life digging in rocks. It's been interesting having these turtles around as pets. I'm so happy Adam convinced me to adopt these guys.

xo Jen

I picked this book up at a second-hand store. I had no idea Christmas With The Kranks was based on a book.

We've been walking to the nearby library to borrow blu-rays and graphic novels. I picked this one up and it was so adorable. I really liked it.

Snuggles wherever he can get them.

The turtles are getting big and I love catching them sunbathing together.

My adorable fluff ball.

I had to pick up Buddy the Elf to add to my Christmas Pop! collection.

Our finished gingerbread house.

I think this ornament is great. Natasha's hair is so huge and I love it.

A night of gift wrapping.

We're definitely going to have a white Christmas. The snow has shown up and it's not going anywhere.

It's bittersweet that Christmas is this weekend. It's going to be a fun weekend but it'll be over so soon.

xo Jen

Hello May! I'm happy to say goodbye to April. It was a dreary month with the snow melting and everything was flooded and muddy. I found I couldn't get ahead in April either. I was constantly catching up on things. But May will be better. It's already started great because the sun is shining and the long term forecast shows warm temperatures and lots of sun!



How was April for you?
xo Jen

5 Fandom Friday Info

So February is over, huh? I'm not going to lie, I'm excited for March. Why? Because Spring is around the corner! Yes, we have a 5' snow fortress surrounding our house and we're hitting -30 degrees tonight but we're coming to the end of Winter!

This is how I spent February.


Logan loves the turtles. I keep catching him hanging out with them and being super adorable.



Seymore being Seymore.


 I made some super yummy cinnamon rolls for IGGPPC in February. You can find the recipe here.



A new gourmet doughnut shop opened near us and we've been twice! We've tried the Maple Bacon, Cookies and Cream, Coconut Lime, and Maple French Toast. They are incredible! Super fluffy and so tasty. If you're ever in the area, check out Mighty Canadian Doughnuts.


One of my favourite glasses. I got it for Christmas in a 2-pack. Wait until you see the other cup!


We spent an evening building the Lego Ghostbusters set. I absolutely love the minifigures of the guys.


February was a month of staying indoors and being snuggly. I'm looking forward to heading outside more in March though.


xo Jen

I haven't shared a turtle update since September so forgive me for all the baby turtle photos! We've had Tank and Koopa for about 7 months now and they've grown so much! Personality-wise too.

We no longer stress out over them not eating or about Tank burying his head in the rocks when we come near them. They're full-blown pigs. They race for pellets and will push each other out of the way for a shrimp. We've been feeding them different types of lettuce which they absolutely love. We find leaf stems at the bottom of the aquarium the day after giving them a couple of lettuce leaves. We also gave them a quarter of a strawberry which Koopa absolutely devoured.

They get super excited when I approach them because they think it's feeding time so it's incredibly hard to get clear, in-focus photos of them. Their little legs go crazy as they try to swim at me. I'm at the point where I stop to watch them numerous times throughout the day so they get used to my presence and hopefully they eventually won't necessarily think it's feeding time when they see me. I need to photograph them hanging out on their platform as they dry themselves. They stretch right out and their little legs lift right up while they balance on the bottom of their shell. It's so cute. But as soon as they spot me, they dive in the water.



The next photo is of both turtles... they climb on top of each other when they're in this container (while Adam cleans their aquarium) and try to get over the edge. They're so incredibly spazzy while in here.




You can somewhat see their size difference in the bottom picture. Koopa is at the bottom and he's quite heavy in comparison to little Tank, who's on top. But Tank was a picky eater for the first couple of months. He also wouldn't fight for his share of the food so Koopa grew quickly. There's nothing to worry about though. Tank grabs 3 pellets at a time now. He's learned to fight for his share of the food. Though, we still catch him digging through the rocks to hide.


I've been practicing using my Nikon DSLR camera on manual, so I've been taking photos like crazy. But these guys move around so much, it almost seems impossible to get a clear photo of them!

xo Jen

I'm at the point in the holiday season where I think "where did the time go? How is Christmas SO soon?!" The fact that it's less than a month until Christmas blows my mind. Work has become super busy so I'm working more hours. I have Etsy orders coming in, a craft show to prepare for, and of course, Christmas gifts to buy.

A lot of my photos lately have been from around the house and tend to be of our pets since they distract me when photographing products for Etsy or finished treats for recipe posts. So if you don't want to see adorable baby turtles or cute cats, turn away now!






My window sill garden is expanding!


How's your November been?
xo Jen