Beautiful Blessings - 7/22/15

~ Teaching T-bug Go-Fish, renaming it Snickerdoodle, and having a blast giggling!

~ Actually getting all the way wet today in the water, and swimming a smidge!

~ Teaching T-Tot how to swim!

~ Giggling over goofy faces with L-Jo!

~ Seeing a beautful hill painted with tiny purple flowers!

Photo-A-Day - Day 14!

"Purple" - a beautiful purple clematis!

(due to a migraine yesterday, I forgot to take a pic until it was 11pm, so I figured I would take it today :~)

Photo-A-Day - Day 4!

"Sunny" - an iris blossoms & blooms in the beautiful bright sunlight!

Snow! In April!

Awhile back, my friend and I were talking, and I lamented the fact I haven't been able to enjoy the snow. So I was delighted when I awoke to this!

My one friend's response to the snow was this: You know, I have a reason to believe that Moriah is the one who prayed for today's snow ;) lol

Another said: 

....Moriahhhhhh!!!!!

hahaha!

And still another said: I wouldn't doubt it lol

I will be truthful and admit I wasn't praying for the snow, but I'm excited it's here!

Ahhh squee!!! I love snow!!!

Snowflakes on the lilac buds that are beginning to bloom!

Snow in the pine trees....mmm!

Artsy Snow

Collage of Artsy Snow

Ahhh isn't snow beautiful!?!

Water droplets on the violet!

Ahhhhhh what a lovely day!! :~D I love snow!!! And spring!!!

Snowflakes!

Easter morning dawned...

...snowing and dreary. 

Hahaha, that's right no sun, no shine, and lots of snowflakes!

In my opinion, they weren't snowflakes.

They were beautiful snowflower confetti! 

They hailed the beautiful morning!

A day in which we remember the resurrection of our Savior!

Isaiah 1:18

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.

Don't you just love snow(flower)flakes?? :~D

Venerable Vintage Hats: Daffodils!

The Daffodils

William Wordsworth, 1770 - 1850

I wandered lonely as a cloud

   That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

   A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

   And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretched in never-ending line

   Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

   Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A Poet could not but be gay,

   In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

   In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

   Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

(I memorized this poem as a kid, and as I was thinking about this hat, it came to mind. :~)

Venerable Vintage Hats: A Little Garden!

A little garden of flowers,

sitting on my head.

With tiny white florets,

growing in the garden bed.

Every which way they sprout,

upon my lovely hat.

I dream of a spring day,

with tea, a book, & furry cat!

Science Saturday: Hares, Asters, and Bumblebees!

(A white aster with a bumblebee! :~D My lovely Mommy took this!)

A few interesting facts that may be slightly beneficial to your brain:

•  Hares and Rabbits are completely different animals. Hares tend to have big ears, big hind legs, and a a larger body. They are from the genus Lepus.
• One of the more-common Hares is the Snowshoe Hare. They grow extra fur on their feet to help support their weight when they are in deep snow.
• They enjoy eating grasses, green leaves, buds and twigs in the summer. In the winter they eat needles and twigs from conifers, bark, buds, and twigs from deciduous trees. For water they drink dew in the warm months, and snow in the cold months. 
• The name Aster comes from the Greek word for "star". Fall is a perfect time to see the "star flowers". 
• Asters are a perfect example of a composite flower. They have tiny individual flowers called florets. The ones in the middle of the flower are called disk florets. Surrounding the disk florets are small thin ray florets.
• Asters are perennials, so if you find them one year, they are most likely going to be there for the next several years.
• Bumblebees still can be around after a few frosts. Some of the females are still buzzing around looking for mates. After they mate they will bury themselves in the ground in an inactive state.
• If they survive the winter they will come back out in April or May. Honeybees prefer hives in trees and so forth, but Bumblebees tend to live in burrows in the ground.
• As the colony slowly gets bigger in the warmer months, the Queen is busy laying eggs. The older workers spend time foraging for food while the younger workers help in the nursery. Then the cycle continues.

Science Saturday: Slugs, Skunks, and Indian Pipes!

(A skunk we accidentally trapped....we were aiming for woodchucks)

A few interesting things!

• Slugs are not snails and they are not leeches. They look the same from a distance, but in reality they aren't even close to being the same!
• A Slug's body is all one piece. They do not have segments. They are part of the Gastropoda family, which means "stomach-foot."
• Slugs aren't too much trouble. Usually. We did have one eat our watermelon before, but that's the first time we've had that happen. They tend to enjoy eating the wild plants.
• Skunks are among the top animals hit by cars. Most often they are hit around February during mating season.
• Skunks are best known for their scent glands which are used as a weapon against predators. They can spray them up to 10ft away, temporarily blinding the predator. The smell and the pain prevent them from getting eaten.
• Skunks are opportunistic carnivores. They like anything that they don't have to chase too much. They enjoy insects, birds, mice, turtle eggs, toads, and frogs. Occasionally they will help themselves to carrion. (Which is why they often become carrion ;~D )
• Indian Pipe is a flowering plant. The flower hangs like a bell from the top of the stem, which makes it look like a pipe!
• It doesn't feel like a flower, but more like a mushroom. Interestingly enough, you can not transplant it.
• It lacks chlorophyll, so it can't manufacture it's own food. Instead it obtains food from the roots of nearby trees. The Indian Pipe absorbs food from it's towering friends, and grows quite happily.

Science Saturday: Peppermint, Milkweed, and Queen Anne's Lace!

(Some peppermint from our garden!)

We absolutely LOVE peppermint! Currently we have peppermint, citrus mint, chocolate mint, spearmint, and lemon mint, growing in our garden!

A few interesting facts:

•   Peppermint is not native to the USA. It was brought over with English colonists. Peppermint was not native to England. Peppermint was a hybrid of two European mints (watermint and spearmint). 
• Peppermint is not very good as cross-pollinating. Instead it sends out underground runners which sprout genetically identical peppermint.
• Peppermint is probably one of the most well known flavors/scents
• Milkweed has very deep roots which enables it to continue to grow no matter how many times it has been cut back or dug up.
• Milkweed has a very unique way of pollinating. The surface of the flower is slippery and designed to have insect legs slide down until one of them has landed into a small hole in which pollen sacs are hidden. When and if the insect can get free, it transfers the pollen to another milkweed plant.
• Throughout every stage of it's life, it is edible! (If you want to eat it, if I were you, I'd research it to know how to prepare and eat it, etc.).
• Queen Anne's Lace is one of the most common abundant wildflowers! It's named after Queen Anne of England. We've all heard the story of how the red flower in the middle of the flower is a drop of blood from where "she pricked her finger while working on her lace."
• Queen Anne's Lace is related to carrots which is part of the parsley family! Celery, parsnips, parsley, dill, caraway, fennel, coriander, cumin, and anise (one of my favorite spices) are also related.
• Despite it being a wildflower, Queen Anne's Lace has a delightful scent!

Science Saturday: Hummingbirds, Spittlebugs, and Buttercups Galore!

(Pardon the fact they are daisies...though there might be buttercups in the far back left corner....)

"A tiny little spittle bug climbed up a stalk.

He almost reached the top, when he heard someone talk.

A bright little humming bird sang in the sky.

He smiled at her before away she flied.

The tiny little spittle bug enjoyed the flower's scent.

Back down the buttercup he went."

A few interesting things I learned:

• Humming Birds' wings are different than most birds. Their wings don't flap, but move in a figure-eight motion. 
• If a human were to sustain the energy output of a humming bird, they would have to eat 285lbs of hamburger a day. Humming birds eat half their weight in sugar daily. 
• Their tongue is unique in the fact it can reach past the end of their bill. 
• Spittlebugs is the name for the young bugs. The adult bugs are called Froghoppers.
• The spittle is wet and slippery with a consistency of saliva rather than foam. It is made up plant juices from what they eat and glands in their abdomen. They use it to protect themselves.
• The Spittlebugs only have one known predator, a species of wasp that knows tasty things are hidden under the spittle.
• On any given plant, you can easily find Buttercups in every stage of their life. Buds, young flowers, old flowers and flowers turned to seed.
• They can, but rarely self pollinate. They are usually cross-pollinated by tiny insects crawling from one Buttercup to another. Cross pollination is better for the species anyways.
• Buttercups are very common, so many people consider them to be weeds. 

Roses!

I love roses!

*note, I did edit these :~) 

Flower Blossoms!

The blossoms were so pretty yesterday, I just had to take some pictures! So we went for a walk after Church. :~)

This one ^^^^ looks like a painting!

 I love this one! ^^^^

And some tulips :)

The girls had fun on our walk!