butterfly visit

mother nature always has a way of making things up to you. after my bout with a yellow jacket the other (which is still itchy and fire red, mind you!), i noticed this little guy flitting around my garden. i figured he was heading for my butterfly bush, so ran, got the camera and waited for him to show up. sure enough, he gently glided in and started enjoying a mid day snack. what a beauty. so quiet and peaceful he was as he moved from flower to flower.

i've discovered some newborn baby squirrels in a bird house right next to my front door. it is surrounded in ivy, so it is quite safe for them there. they are darling! as they get a little bigger, i'll try and get some pics.

new painting

today was rainy (again), dark and dreary. the only enjoyable part was the LOUD thunder that shook the house. no lightening though. dillon had his first driving lesson today and he had to drive around in that kind of weather. talk about your quick intro to foul weather driving. i decided i wanted to paint today after spending all day yesterday sewing mini little snippet journals to sell at Artnsoul in May. i've been wanting to paint for quite some time, but tend to put it off since it takes me awhile to paint (versus other things like sewing and jewelry that doesn't take as long for me). i was channeling my inner Misty Mawn today. misty does her hands like that and she can draw, but i am here to tell you that i tried to draw a hand today and it went badly! so i opted for this easy techique to save myself from the madness! i haven't decided if this is a keeper or for sale. (that's another problem i have with paintings, i have a hard time parting with them). i will be scanning it and using the image in more work though (like a treasure box for beginners....) i also have a few more things i want to do on it. on the back of the girl, i'm going to be adding a real pair of butterfly wings that Jeff saved for me when he found a butterfly in our garden. and then i wanted to add some sort of text, but need to think about what it will say. i wanted it to be something like a common bond between the girl with her wings and the butterfly. maybe something like "as different as we seem, one common bond brings us together" or something like that.

my babies are leaving the nest

as i was getting Tucker ready for school today, i looked out his window and saw momma robin and a baby. she took off and the baby was hopping up and down the rungs on a ladder in the yard. fledgling day! so soon? weren't they just born? so i snuck out with my camera (ditching tucker!) and took some shots. i couldn't believe i was sitting right there when the mom flew in and brought some breakfast to the baby. such a great way to start the day! tomorrow i will show you a picture of the new babies we are watching! the fun never ends around here. also, this is a cool moth i found on my porch. i think it is hot and needed to rest (it's only 98 here today!). so i soaked a paper towel in sugar water and put it in front of it and it started drinking away.

update: actually, i found out this is a moth. we thought it was a pregnant butterfly, but since it's a moth, i am thinking that maybe that the body is usually chubby like that. we tried to let it go last night, but it didn't leave. i think it likes it here.