Winter Wonderland

We actually got snow! I know for some of you this is no big deal, you may have been apart of that crazy north eastern snow storm recently. But down here in South Carolina snow is rare. About 4 inches blanketed the ground, it was beautiful. We enjoyed snow ball fights, snow angels, sledding, and just plain falling into the fluffy white stuff :)






Hope you all are staying comfy and cozy during this chilly winter season.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Back Home! Nature Camp Edition

Each summer my munchkins go to Nature Camp at Blackbeard's Cove Family Fun Park. They have a blast learning about insects, protecting our planet, various vegetation, and all sorts of animals. Last summer I posted about their week of learning and this time around I have more pictures!

Both kids did things I didn't know them capable of. My son went hunting for "good snakes," while my daughter actually enjoyed holding bugs! It is really amazing how spending time out in nature can help a child grow.

A wonderful woman named Nana Butterfly runs the program. Since my kids had been to this camp before it was very cute to watch them run into her arms yelling "Nana! Look how big we got this year!"

I grew up going to many summer camps... wilderness camps, Girl Scout camps, Church camps, every kind of camp! I am glad to see that my kids enjoy this as much as I did :)



Thank you all for your wonderful comments while I was on a little break. I feel fully refreshed and ready for whatever life can dish out.

Life is back in full swing around our place, especially with school starting August 3rd. (Is that not the most ridiculously early date for school to go back?!) I have a bunch more fun vacation moments to share so stay tuned!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

To The Lake We Go

My friend Melissa over at "Spoiled Mommy" took her family fishing last week and it inspired me to take my munchkins for a fun outing! We found out the fishing lines were tangled, our fishing licenses were expired and we didn't know where the tackle box was... go figure.

We decided we could still go to the lake and play. Want to come along?

Let's hit that open road!

Look we made it! And no one complained the entire way!

I see water, how exciting! (you can tell we've been in the desert too long)

The water was a perfect temperature, time for some swimming.

Let's relax and enjoy the scenery!

Here's what we see from our lounge chair, so pretty.

I think the munchkin is enjoying himself :)

Oh look! A mermaid washed up on shore!

It was such a nice afternoon relaxing in the sun.

What did you do this weekend? Today the munchkins and I are off to the movie theatre to enjoy some air conditioning! My hubby will be home nursing the nice red sunburn he got from our day at the lake :( We had such a good time playing up there that next weekend we're going back with a BBQ and some friends! Hope you all have a wonderful week.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Desert Rain

"It's raining it's pouring, the old man is snoring..." It is so pretty outside. I love gloomy, cloudy, rainy weather. This might be why one of my favorite places that I have lived is Seattle, WA. The desert sky is all gray and beautiful. The mini munchkin and I still went to the park for a little while, we had a good time. She didn't like getting her booty went coming down the slide though. It isn't cold, just wet. That's nothing some rain boots and a coat can't handle. Sorry I did not put up "Sunday Signspotting" yesterday, things are just out of whack right now. Cloudy weather is so peaceful, that's just what I need right now. What is your favorite weather?

Ta Ta for now

Girl Power In The Yard

"She works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
she works hard for the money
so you better treat her right"
~Donna Summer

OK, so maybe I don't make money, but I should! I am a pooped puppy, our yard was starting to look like the Adams family had moved in. So it was mommy to the rescue!

As I was mowing the front lawn this morning I noticed our neighbors were getting a new roof put on. There was a woman roofer, so cool. She didn't speak any English as we said our Hello's (I mean our Hola's.) It was so humid, I felt for her standing up in the hot sun on a dark roof. At one point the men took a break, but she diligently kept right on, as did I. Every time I would make that turn to come back near the neighbors house, there she was waving with a smile on her face.

Two women busting their booty's, while the men sat... Even with the language barrier, we had a clear understanding how the other one felt. GIRL POWER!

So now all the lawns (side, front, back) are mowed, the edges have all been weed whacked, weeds pulled from the flower beds, kids yard toys put away, and dog bowls refilled with fresh water.

*sigh* It looks so pretty, I'm so proud. Now it's time to go get the kids from preschool so they can run through the freshly mowed grass and wave in excitement at my new friend next door putting on a roof.

Ta Ta for now

Lizards on My Arm

Zane was so proud of himself for catching a baby lizard in our backyard.

I love seeing my children explore this beautiful planet. Our weather is wonderful now, but I am afraid it might be the "calm before the storm." Hurricane Hannah is headed our way, I'm not too worried because we are about 75 miles inland. But just in case Mother Nature rears her ugly head, we have been trying to savor the sunshine and fresh air as much as possible today. I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing Labor Day!

Ta Ta for now

Howling to be heard

Let me get up on my soap box for a moment...
Uh-hem (clears throat)

STOP THE SENSELESS KILLING OF THE CREATURES GOD HAS CREATED!

Okay, now that I got that out of my system we can move on to facts.
I wrote a blog last month about the importance of Manatees in the Florida waterways. Today I am going to shed some light on my most favorite of animals. The Gray Wolf.

A federal judge in Montana has restored protection to gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. They were taken off the endangered-species list March 28 after federal officials said the species (once hunted, poisoned or trapped to the verge of extinction) was "thriving."

The order, by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, is expected to stop public hunts being planned by officials in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.The National Resources Defense Council claims that 106 gray wolves have been killed in those states in the 118 days since being removed from the list!!!

That's nearly one wolf killed every day. The death toll could be even higher since kills are not required to be reported immediately, and 'shoot and bury' tactics mean that some kills might not be reported at all. And if Wyoming, Idaho and Montana have their way, at least 900 wolves (nearly 60 percent of the population) could be exterminated this fall. What is wrong with people?? in one hunting season they want to eliminate 60% of an entire animal????

An estimated 2,000 wolves now live in the Northern Rockies after a decade-long restoration effort. "Until now the reintroduction of gray wolves to the Northern Rockies was one of our greatest endangered species success stories," said Louisa Willcox, NRDC Action Fund Wildlife Campaign Director. "Now the region has become a killing field for wolves, just as we predicted."

Thousands of gray wolves roamed the Rocky Mountains before being slaughtered and eliminated from 95 percent of the lower 48 states by the 1930's. The gray wolf was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Reintroduction efforts placed 66 wolves in Yellowstone National Park and part of Idaho in 1995-96.

"Dozens of wolves have been killed already, and more are certain to die under state laws that in many cases allow unregulated wolf killing anywhere, anytime, for any reason," Willcox said.

This is just so stupid! We work so hard to help this species thrive just so we can kill them all again. Wolves are not the enemy here, Humans are. It has been proven that since the ban life is thriving in the Northern Rockies. The natural order of things had been restored. God created every animal for a reason. Even little annoying bugs serve a Huge picture in the grand scheme of things. Who are we to decided which species stays and which can go?

Some of the first wolves to be killed since the de-listing took effect include:

• Wolf 253M: This eight-year-old celebrity wolf's fans called him "Hoppy" because of his limp (caused by an injury from a fight with another wolf pack). He was shot the day after de-listing on an elk feeding ground in Wyoming. This black wolf was one of the most recognizable members of Yellowstone's famous Druid Peak pack. People snapped his photograph and shot video as he and his pack mates played, hunted and snoozed. Later, he became the first wolf to step foot into Utah in over 75 years and established his own pack in Grand Teton National Park.

• The Ashton wolves: These two males were killed on April 1 near Ashton, Idaho. The first was shot within view of the shooter's home near some horses. The second was pursued by the landowner for over a mile on snowmobile. Authorities declined to press charges against the shooter due to "reasonable doubt" as to whether the wolves were "molesting" livestock.

• Wolf B160: This collared wolf was found shot on April 3 near Clayton, Idaho. His body was still warm when a woman found him about 70 yards from Highway 75. He had been shot through the femur and stomach.


It makes me want to cry reading about these poor animals. Come this fall this beautiful animal may be gone forever. This stop to the killing is only temporary while the courts decided if they should keep the Gray Wolf on the endangered list or not. (Again, humans trying to play God.) My heart breaks for the wolves that have grown accustomed to humans being near them, like in Yellowstone, and then we lift our guns and kill them. What must they think? Yes, animals have a brain and feelings too.

We were put on this earth to protect, not obliterate. Sorry for the not so happy topic today, I just really felt like this issue needed to be spotlighted.

Ta Ta for now

My Country Bumpkin

My daughter is so funny, she has fallen in love with one of my husbands fishing lures. She named him "Shrimpy" (it's a hookless rubber crawfish). She caries it around, pushes it on the swing, and makes a bed for it at night. This is how you know when your kids might be country bumpkins. When one of their best friends is a fishing lure. :o) Shrimpy had an accident today, one of his claws broke off!


It really was quite tragic. Audrey was upset and didn't want to play with shrimpy until I fixed him. How in the world was I going to fix a rubber fishing lure??? I decided to let Audrey be the Doctor, all she asked for was tape.


After pulling off most of the tape from the roll she was set to start Shrimpy's surgery. This was getting very interesting, notice the serious look on her face.


After wrapping the tape around her little friend and getting his claw to stay in place, she needed to check out her handy work.


Looks good. I think Shrimpy has lived to see another day! Thank goodness, I wasn't quite sure what to do if he didn't make it. Should we have given the little guy a funeral? Did he need a shoebox casket? I guess those questions will someday need to be answered, but for now Audrey and Shrimpy can continue to play together on the swing set.


In case you were worried, Shrimpy is healing quite nicely. He is enjoying a movie with Audrey, with his claw propped up on a pillow of course.

Ta Ta for now

It's a hot one

 
The last few days have been over 100' F!! Ouch. The kids and I took a nice dip in the pool, unfortunantly it wasn't as refressing as we had hoped. The pool was like bath water. It was still fun to swim and play though. If this weather is any indication of what is to come in the next few months we might need to vacation in Alaska so we don't melt! Stay cool, and enjoy the summer everyone.

Ta Ta for now,
Lizzy

The Gentle Manatee

My mom's favorite animal is the Manatee, I am often surprised at how many people have either not heard of them or know nothing about them. I grew up in a house where Adopting a Manatee and "Sea Cow" gifts were common place. Being that the summer is upon us, and boating is in high swing, I thought I would share a little bit about these gentle giants we love so much.



Behavior: Manatees are passive, slow-moving animals. Most of their time is spent eating, resting and traveling. Manatees are often shy and reclusive.

Habitat: Manatees are found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas, particularly where seagrass beds or freshwater vegetation flourish.

Mortality: Many manatee mortalities are human related. Most human-related manatee mortalities in Florida are caused by watercraft collisions. They can accidentally ingest fishhooks, litter and fishing line or become entangled in crab trap lines.

So be careful out there in the water and watch out for these adorable guys. There are many things we can do to protect our planet and the animals on it, we just have to try. What a shame if our children miss seeing them.



http://www.savethemanatee.org

Ta Ta for now,
Lizzy