Trouble at Trinity Park

It's usually a fun day when we take Noli to the park. Not so this particular day!

We picked her up from her soccer game and went to meet Mommy and some friends and go out to eat. Where are we eating, Noli asks first thing.  Zoe's, we say. 

NO! I'm not eating there. They don't have anything I like. I'm NOT eating there!

and so it continued the entire drive of around 20 minutes or so. Do you know how long 20 minutes can be when a kid is yelling in the backseat and will not accept any amount of reasoning? And naturally we were too early to go to the *dreaded* restaurant. In text conversations on the phone, Mommy suggested meeting at Trinity Park which was close to the *dreaded* restaurant. We figured Noli would run off some of her irritation and be ready to go to eat in peace. 

Um, not so.

Noli, in her blue soccer uniform is taking a free ride

As soon as we got to the playground she was airborne straight to the merry-go-round. Now the parks she usually goes to don't have merry-go-rounds so that's probably why she was stuck like glue to this one. At first there were only a few little kids on it, and then BOOM kids came out of nowhere and jumped on. Round and round, I was getting dizzy just watching them.

Then we get the call from Mommy -- they are headed to the restaurant. So I go over to get Noli -- who of course will absolutely not get off that merry-go-round. I am NOT getting off, I am NOT going to Zoe's. They still don't have anything I like to eat. I'm NOT.

I finally stopped the merry-go-round and told the other kids that I was going to have to get her off, and between me unclenching her fingers and Papa picking her up, we got her off that blasted merry-go-round....

Only to have her run straight to the climbing thing with the slides. Zoom! She goes to the side you can't see in the pic, the side that has those round things you hold onto and swing your way across. 

Then she's hoisting herself up on TOP of the ladder that goes across and gets in a rather precarious position. I'm right under her, scared that she might fall. But she carefully places her feet (which by the way, are in slippery cowboy boots and not sure footed tennis shoes) IN THE HANDHOLDS and manages to get across and over to the platform without falling. And without my heart attack that I surely thought was going to happen. I told her she could go down the slide ONE time to get off the thing, and then we were leaving. 

She was kind of subdued so I guess her little excursion scared her more than she let on. 

We got in the car and it started again.... NO! I'm NOT going there.

Well, honey, you are... and you know what? She found something she did like, and enjoyed her meal. And the rest of us grown-ups were able to enjoy ours!

The little smarty pants.

Next time, I think we'll just ride the train!

~ sharing Noli's Trinity Park excursion over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday  where we are studying the letter T

~ sharing her blue uniform, the blue merry-go-round, and the blue sky over on Blue Monday

~ sharing over at Grandma's Briefs for GRAND Social


♥♥

I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes...

I about jumped out of my skin when I looked out my bedroom window and saw.....

THIS

So of course (knowing that you would truly enjoy some close-up spider shots) I grabbed the camera and ran outside.

I think their webs are quite fascinating

and they are neat to watch as they build their homes....

(from a distance, of course)

but I'm not so thrilled with the homeowner!

YIKES!

thank goodness for the zoom lens!

when I enlarged this shot, I could see the surprise Ms. Spider was about to leave me

This!! She decided that my bedroom window was a good place to leave her offspring!

I didn't agree.

No, that's not two egg sacs, just a reflection!

So I got hubby to go outside and knock the egg sac down to the ground. (I'm the one who freaks out at bugs of all types!) 

We thought that the babies could just as easily run all over the ground instead of our window -- where the screen, by the way, has a small hole in it. Baby spiders sharing my bedroom is NOT part of the program!

And I don't know about you, but I'm creeped out just writing this and dealing with those pics!

To combat more creepiness, I am leaving you with some cute kitty pics....

I'm sure you'd rather think of cute kitties than yucky spiders!

Hey, just be glad there are no snakes!!

This is Patio, Jr who apparently thinks rainwater is better than the water in the communal water bowl...

Midnight agrees!

Oops! Caught in the act!

I'll stare at you and bolt if you take one tiny step toward me....

(Thank goodness again for the zoom lens!!)

Sharing at
Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter S
Camera Critters

♥♥

Rainbow Sherbet

Beautiful and yum!

Hubby made a milk run to the store. My head was stuck in my computer so I didn't get up when he came back. Suddenly he appears at my desk.... ice cream glasses in hand! Sweet hubby!

I said, I've gotta take a picture! 

He says, well, hurry before it melts!


sharing this Rainbow yumminess over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter R

♥♥

Quackers

Quack Quackity Quack!

Recently, we headed to the park to feed the quackers -- uh, ducks (and to burn off some Noli energy since she was spending the night...)

I kept telling her that she needed to tear the bread into little pieces!

Yikes! They're ganging up on her!

Even though I was using the zoom, I still got up pretty close to this one.

Pfptpfptpfptpfpt!! Blowing a raspberry at us!!

This one kinda scared me -- he was moving at a fast clip right at us!

Then we started around the lake, and stopped at our favorite tree to feed the ducks. We like to stand on the roots and Noli wonders why I won't let her get too close to the water's edge....

Don't worry, I won't fall, Mumsie!

Yeah, like I'm going to risk that!

and guess what Noli discovered!!

Aren't they cuties?!!

Noli kept asking where the mommy was

and I kept answering "I don't know!"

Is this the mommy??

Nope!

 Here she is! 

(and I can tell you, mommy is not a runway model....)

But she obviously loves those ducklings and watches over them with care...

C'mon kids, stay close to mama!

Noli makes extra duck footprints with a stick

and picks up a fluffy feather

Do you think ducks know to cross the street here? she asks  : )

I guess so.... they've got pictures!

Sharing our duck quackers adventure over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter Q

Also sharing on Camera Critters and at Grand Social!

♥♥

Pumpkins and Acorns, Oh My!

I'm a bit ridiculously late for last month's challenge for the Blogging Business Artisans Etsy team, but I'm going to show it to you anyway! The challenge theme for August was "Fall is Coming" and was brought to us by Linda of Linda B's Jewelry. If you'd like to see the other challenge projects for August, just click here!

There is a built-in see-through shelving unit that separates a portion of my living room from the dining room, and one of these cubbies is where I place holiday decorations that Noli can play with. It's in the first, and lowest, cubby so it's very prominent in the room and she likes to change things around and decorate it however she wants. The agreement, of course, is that she can do whatever she'd like in her cubby, but she has to leave the other decorations -- especially breakables -- alone! Works pretty well!!

I didn't have much for her for Thanksgiving so I thought for this challenge I would crochet some pumpkins for her. The larger one is about 5 inches tall and the smaller about 4 inches tall.

I had bought this little fabric pumpkin a couple of years ago, and then forgot about it since it wasn't with my Thanksgiving decorations. I came across it recently and then decided to make some pumpkins to go with it!

I think Noli will really like these on her shelf, especially since I made them just for her!

For the past several years we have been picking up acorns from under the oak tree in the front yard. The rule is that we can't pick up whole acorns because those are for the squirrels to eat. So we just get the caps. 

Noli is around four years old in these two pictures -- 

but I guess I didn't take any recent acorn-picking pics  : )

No, I didn't make her hat, but a friend of her mama's did!!

I had seen crocheted acorns using a real cap and liked the idea, so I made some to go with the pumpkins!

Noli will really like them since she picked up all the caps (and believe me, there are a LOT of caps!) If I get around to it I might just make some to put in my Etsy shop! If I get around to it.....

If you crochet it's very easy to make these -- 

Rnd 1 - just start with a magic ring and make 5 sc in the ring. 

Rnd 2 - 2 sc in each stitch (10 sc)

Then single crochet on those 10 sc until it's as long as you'd like 

I used worsted weight cotton and acrylic and crocheted 6 or 7 rounds with both an E and an F hook. Great way to use up all those bits and pieces of leftover yarn!

If you don't crochet you could use fabrics -- cut a circle from the fabric, hand sew around the edge to gather, stuff with fiberfill and draw up the end and secure. I didn't make any from fabric so I don't know how big the circle should be, but it's like the crocheted ones -- it's just however big you want it to be!

For the caps, be sure to wash them and let them dry well over several days. I also put mine on a baking sheet in a 250 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes to make sure there are no bitty critters lurking about!

Stuff with fiberfill

and hot glue the acorn cap onto the open end of the acorn. Don't you like my nifty glue gun holder?

Aren't they cute?

I think Noli will really get a kick out of them!


Do you have a special place to put kids' holiday decorations?
Do you have special decorations that they can play with?

♥♥

Polly Pocket's New Look...

A couple of weeks ago when Noli spent the night, you may remember that we conducted the Great Glitter Explosion Experiment.... 

and I left you with these parting words....

Later on we played Polly Pocket

and Polly got a new makeover the next day!

But you'll have to wait for another time to find out just what happened to Miss Polly and her friends....

Glitter could be involved.....

just sayin'

♥♥♥

Well, glitter was definitely involved! In fact, I'm still sweeping glitter off the floor! Little sparklies catch my eye when the light is just right. But what's a girl to do if she can't have a little glitter in her life?

Innocently playing....

little did I know what she was up to!

Hmmm, getting the sneaky look

Uh oh, she got the glitter and a glue stick...

I just barely got a piece of paper under her 

(rather than my placemat!)

Rolling in the glitter

As you can see, the placemat didn't escape the glitter!

Oh no! I've fallen in the glitter and I can't get up!

Polly is the Glitter Girl  rock star  : )

No Pocket girl is exempt, or Lego horses

or Ponies -- 

Rainbow Dash is now sporting some glittery face and wing paint!

Noli thought that was the best glitter gluing EVER!!

 Now, one more thing concerning Polly Pocket -- if you or your kids grew up in the 80s, you may remember Polly Pocket looking like this....

Teeny tiny Pollys, about an inch tall

Their houses opened up to reveal teeny tiny furniture

or teeny tiny wagons and pets

 These were a couple of sets that I got for Noli last Christmas -- and not for a teeny tiny price either! I think they totaled about $35.00 -- a vintage shop on Etsy. It was still new in the package and that was neat! Noli was big into Polly Pocket and Stephanie wanted to get her some like she had played with, so we each got her a set. Good thing they weren't that expensive when Stephanie was playing with them!!

sharing Polly's Glitter Makeover over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter P

and at Grandma's Briefs for GRAND Social

♥♥