Holding the World in a Paper Cup

Chuck and I have spent a lot of time at Little River Canyon through the years.

Canoeing, hiking, climbing, fishing, picnicking, swimming, jumping from cliffs, climbing an old rickety fire tower...

The usual

Recently, Lime Chiffon and I visited Little River Canyon National Preserve again, and for the first time we had the opportunity to explore the Little River Canyon Center .

I was SO impressed.

We participated in:

Growin’ Up Wild for Preschool Children: Wiggling Worms

Date: Friday, March 25, 2011

Where: Little River Canyon Center in Fort Payne, AL

Time: 11:00 am - noon

Fee: No fee; some programs may have limited space so pre-registration is encouraged

I don't know what got into her that day. She wasn't having any part of the worm handling. Though just yesterday, I found one in the yard, she took it without hesitation, put it in a jar, and now it may or may not be loose somewhere in the house.

Roly polies? No problem.

She's about to crumble that cookie up to resemble dirt. Then she's going to add gummy worms.

We stopped by Little River Falls on the way out.

Little River Falls

SO beautiful

And later that night we went back for more.....

Fairy Tales & Fun

Join DeSoto State Park for an enchanting night starting with “fairy stories” and watching a “true fairy tale film”. Bring your own folding chairs or quilts. Snacks provided.

Date: Friday, March 25, 2011

Where: DeSoto State Park Campfire Circle

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Fee: No Fee

I felt like the Clampets rolling up in there with about 4 blankets, 3 chairs, gloves, hats, scarfs, and a couple of stuffed animals.

At this point the movie was worrying her. Her face is easy to read. She has a low tolerance for disturbing scenes in movies. Normally, I research a movie before we commit, but for some reason I thought the movie was a Little River Canyon filmed flick, so I didn't check it out. I should have. It would have saved us some gas and time.

The show was too scary for Lime Chiffon, so we didn't stay. She saw one disturbing thing and wouldn't give the rest a chance. It was frustrating since it took us an hour and 20 minutes to get there, but I am still glad we went. It is nice to know this kind of entertainment is available.

Here's a link for upcoming programs that you can participate in!

http://www.jsu.edu/epic/docs/2011_Field_School_Programs.pdf

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Princess Adora and I recently returned from a trip to visit those Georgia in laws. It was a bit impromptu, and once we got there, I never would commit to saying how long we'd be staying. I'm kinda a commitaphobe. Phyllis and Guy were a good sports about it though and even encouraged us until the following week!

The kids don't need much in the way of entertainment to be happy unless, as I've said before,

they get tired...

or hot.....

or hungry....

or live in the same house for more than 2 days.

Otherwise they're great. Super.

Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time and Phyllis kept us moving from one form of entertainment to another.

Our Visit to Georgia; Photo Essay Style:

Homemade Ice Cream from Twin Oaks Fun Farm

Strawberries were ready for picking at Twin Oaks Fun Farm, but we opted out of that part of the "fun". And while I understand this sounds like a sin, it was hot and our kids were testy. The heat would have set tempers to flaring and we just were not in the mood. At the time, ice cream in the shade suited us all better.

My daughter is always especially dirty.

She gets dirtier than EVERY kid, she EVER plays with.

She plays HARD. And low to the ground, apparently.

The owners really knew how to entertain. I mean LOOK at THIS playground! LOOK at the fan! They went the extra mile with that fan. And Phyllis and I are sitting in the shade in big, beautiful Adirondack chairs. NI-ICE.

I loved this enormous, oak tree. I worried that the ivy would eventually kill it.

Cicadas were EVERYWHERE! I walked up on a bird who had this one in its mouth. Apparently I startled it, because the bird dropped the bug! I was going to put it in my jar, but Phyllis convinced me it should live. When she, had to tell me, to release the cicada, I realized collecting bugs has rendered me utterly, heartless.

There were more dead cicadas on the ground than living cicadas in the air.

They don't bite or pinch, so they are safe to collect with little hands.

See what I mean?

ESPECIALLY dirty.

There were goats, a selfish, but cute donkey, sheep, and a llama to feed. We called this llama (and every other llama we have ever met, and strangely, there have been many...),"Llama Llama Mad at Mama". (it's a children's book)

A lot of time was spent just playing in the yard.

I think it was their favorite (thus most peaceful for us parents) activity.

No, my daughter is not always fully dressed. These photos were edited for modesty's sake (since my daughter possesses none).

I tried my VERY best to get a shot of my eldest nephew in his boy scout uniform.

He was NOT helpful.

He's working on becoming an Eagle Scout. Very cool, I think.

I chased him all the way to the car.

Sprewell Bluff State Outdoor Recreation Area

At Sprewell Bluff Outdoor Recreation Area we saw; fish, turtles, and......

SNAKES!!! Well snake, actually. The kids were playing in the beachy area when Phyllis spotted the snake in the water heading toward land. When we called the kids over to be sure they were out of the way, I was thinking, there's no way this snake is going to go their way. But it did. It slithered right up through the area where they were playing in the sand just seconds earlier.

But, you know what? We didn't let it stop us. We ain't scared.

Me and Phyllis were just taking a break, that's all. Really! The snake wasn't even poisonous.

She's determined to push him in.

She got him.

Relay for Life

First stop: A very impressive dog show

Sorry. No dog shots. This was the best view for me.

They LOVED this.

The photo was totally their idea.

A wolf (a.k.a. a woof) in pursuit.

Then we chased Joseph with the camera while he was marching with the band around the track.

We were like Joseph paparazzi.

He's had. it.

She may, or may not pounce any second.

Awww. She didn't pounce.

She smiled.

We also enjoyed seeing Jordan's preschool award ceremony and participating in his school's field day.

When we weren't entertaining and caring for children, Phyllis and I COUPON-ED! I did not take any photos of couponing. Your welcome. While there and with Phyllis' help, I started my own coupon files. We bought 10 newspapers and matched out all the coupons by laying them out in the floor. Then we cut them ALL out. Oh. my. gosh. It. took. forever. And. I. really. wanted. to. quit. But I couldn't quit. I was committed and I'm glad I stuck to it because lately folks have been paying me to take stuff out of their stores. Ok, well just a few items but still! I wouldn't have been able to do it without my friend Phyllis' guidance. Thanks Phyllis.

We also had the opportunity to go to a few yard sales, sans children! It was awesome. Thanks Guy. And.....as a parting shot, I leave you with a random image from the restaurant where we ate lunch.

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Archive for May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

JSU Field School

Monday, May 30, 2011

Our Visit to Georgia; Photo Essay Style

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