Lobster Lover

My Big Backyard~Wildlife Edition

A newt on my tiger lilies, pretty good camo considering he is the same color as the flowers.

Oh Mama! Look at all those babies! She had about 15!

I see you!  Sly little fox that was stalking the above turkeys!

Look very closely.  Can you see it?

How about now?

See it yet?  Isn't she brave to hold it!

It's a giant prehistoric looking Dobsonfly! 

Garden Eater!

Let's play a game...Name that Bird!

How about now?  Need another shot?

Here you go, I ran across a field in high heels to get you this shot!  Give up?

It's a turkey vulture and it was HUGE!  See he is even looking at me!  I am pretty sure he was thinking he can take me!  I saw him throw a mouse up in the air right before I stumbled over the hill to take this picture.  Was I intimidated of this modern day pterodactyl, of this you can be sure!

My Crazy Girl!!

It started with , "Mom, get the camera and record me"!  So I got the camera and this is what took place...

She is such a nut!

Sundays

Slept in and had a healthy brunch...

Discovered gifts left behind and enjoyed being in the company of my amazing daughter......

Lounged around...

Enjoyed the view...

Mowed the out of control grass...

Got a little crazy...

Enough said.

Happy Half Birthday!!!

So yesterday was my daughter Raine's 8 1/2 birthday.  Now I don't usually celebrate something like this, but I decided to completely throw her off by doing just that!  Here is a look at how I pulled off my sneaky surprise...

First I picked her up from the babysitters and we went to the market to pick up the fixings for dinner.  I asked her while shopping what would be her ideal dinner, though I did outlaw lobster as a choice because the kid is a serious food gourmet!  She chose Salmon, Herb & Butter Rice and a Salad with LOTS of tomatoes from our garden (My kind of girl:).  While we were in the baking aisle I slyly asked her that if she could have any kind of cake what would it be?  Now Raine is really hard to trick due to her ornate sixth sense and was immediately suspicious!  I told her that I was just curious for future reference and after one more what is she up to look she shrugged and played along.  For any of you that know her to say she is a food girl is putting it mildly, so when she said a yellow cake with chocolate frosting I was almost shocked!  So simple and yet it just sorta felt right. 

When we got home I sent her out to the garden to pick tomatoes and had her go play with wren (neighbors dog) thereafter so she wouldn't see me whipping up some crazy 1/2 birthday cupcakes.  I made a yellow cake batter but dyed it deep purple (one of her favorite colors) and poured it into my giant cupcake pans.  While she was out I quickly made her dinner choice and through a bottle of organic sparkling apple cider into the freezer.  Thirty five minutes later dinner was served and the awesome purple cupcakes were secretly cooling on the porch!

She came in and goes, "Mom, what is that smell"?  "I think I smell hot marshmallows". Ya, I know so random!  I quickly covered that with a small fib and told her I was baking cookies for our camping trip this weekend:)  We had dinner on the coffee table and she was pretty excited over the "fancy" spread.  I put on a movie (The great outdoors), we are in full camping theme mode this week and we dug in.

Half an hour or so later while she was distracted with the show I snuck back into the kitchen to decorate and frost the cupcakes.  I went with the traditional chocolate frosting but tricked out the tops with some wild designs in green (her other favorite color) piping. 

I put a candle in one and walked into the living room singing Happy Birthday, and you should have seen the look on her face!  She held the cupcake so I could take a picture and then still in shock and a little appalled goes, "Mom, my birthday is February 9th, you should know that (this was said in a whisper LOL)".  I then explained that it is her 1/2 birthday and that she is exactly 8 1/2 years old today!  She looked at me like I was nuts (I so am) and then cracked up laughing!  She blew out the candle and with a smart little smirk asked if I got her any presents just joking and when I smirked back and said I did she smacked her forehead.  I was loving that she was thinking I am crazy and yet enjoying every minute of it! 

Later while she was downstairs in the basement switching over the laundry (can I tell you how much I love this kid!) I decided now was the time to give her her present.  I had gotten her a sky ball, it's like a big air filed bouncy ball that goes 75ft in the air, and thought that throwing down in the basement while she was down there would be a great way to "give" it to her.  Well, wait for it....let's just say that I will not be getting the mother of the year award this year!  I failed to look before chucking it down the stairs and she just so happened to be coming up those stairs at same time I "let it fly" (see where this is going).  That's right I hit her smack dab in the forehead and all I heard was a "OOOHHH"!  Ya I know I suck, but thank goodness she has a hard head and a great sense of humor because when she came out of the basement holding the offensive object she was rubbing her head but laughing.  Anyway everything went sort of smooth and we had a great night!  She is an amazing kid and I love her to pieces!  Happy 8 (and a half) Birthday Baby!!