The Beauty of a Sketch

I found a unique website while vising Dee's blog today. I changed a color photo into this sketch. This is only one of the many things you can do with your photos. Go check it out and see how creative you can be. http://www.dumpr.net/

Pitcher Plant Bog

"Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain."-Henry David Thoreau

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants. Carnivorous means that the plants feed on insects they trap in their tube-shaped leaves. Once insects get in these tubes, they are trapped and can't get out. These plants are found in places where water is close to the surface and the soil has few nutrients. These plants also need lots of sunshine. Fire is helpful because it kills and removes other plants that might shade the pitcher plants out. Many other interesting plants and animals live in and around these areas.

I have driven past the sign to the Pitcher plant bog hundreds of times and never stopped. Finally the other day, the girls and I stopped to investigate. What a beautiful place! There's a long boardwalk with several informational signs that leads past the pitcher plants all the way to the river. We enjoyed it so much that we're going back and this time we're taking a picnic lunch and our nature journals.

Sewing Days

I love to sew, just not all the time. I get in the mood and sew for days, then I'm burnt out. Lately, I've been on a sewing frenzy. I found a new dress pattern for Emma (who will only were dresses and skirts). It's called Hillary by Children's Corner. It's very girly and cool and also easy to make. So far I've made 3 for Emma and one for her buddy Katy's birthday. Guess I need to move on to a new pattern now! LOL!

Independence Day (early)

This year we had a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Independence Day on Sunday evening. We live near the beach and there tend to be lots of tourists here for holidays-especially on the 4th. I hate fighting the traffic and crowds. This year was perfect. We went to a small town about 10 minutes from our home. The area churches sponsored the celebration in the park. They had free food, games for the children and face painting and free entertainment.

We were all shocked to find out that Rebecca St James was coming to perform. She put on a fabulous 2 hour show. The children were allowed to stand right next to the stage. Afterwards she signed autographs and took pictures. My girls were thrilled to meet her. She seems like such a grounded, sincere young lady-not to mention talented. What a great role model. The night ended with a beautiful show of fireworks. The perfect ending to a perfect evening.

Blueberries

The girls and I just love blueberries. Here in the south the picking season is normally the month of June. We're very fortunate this year that there are still tons of berries on the bushes. So far we've picked a total of about 17 pounds of berries! That doesn't include all that Emma ate while she picked. We've put lots in the freezer, made muffins, shared some and of course ate lots! We plan on picking more before they're gone for another year.

Beautiful Girlhood, Beautiful Magazine

I was just visiting a blogger friend and read about a magazine she subscribes too. After going to the website and reading about it for myself, I knew the girls and I must have it. Here's a little snippet for you to read about it:



" In 1998, when my oldest daughter, Claire, turned eleven we began producing a magazine for girls called The Girlhood Home Companion. It was published on a quarterly basis and suddenly we found ourselves on a wonderful journey we hadn’t planned. I had no idea that writing together as a family could be so fulfilling. What started as a homeschool project – a way to make writing real – soon became a record of our family’s life stories and a testimony of God’s faithfulness. We began to look at everyday moments in a whole new light and life took on deeper meaning as we remembered and recorded those moments, together. "