The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the...

The female golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes), commonly miss-identified as the banana spider, is black and yellow with long fuzzy feet, and about the size of the palm of your hand. The female golden silk spiders usually are 5 to 6 times larger than the male spider. The habitats of these spiders are places with high humidity (Ex: Louisiana). The web of the golden silk spider is extremely large, and very strong. Their web is constructed to catch grasshoppers, flies and other similar small insects. The golden silk spider is good for lowering the insect population, as a lot of spiders do, but scientists are also discovering that they can help with many interesting things such as this.

“An important way in which golden silk spiders benefit humans is with the use of their dragline thread (the silk). N. clavipes, in particular, weave rather strong webs compared to other species of spiders. Currently, there are tests being done on the potential benefits of human use of the dragline thread. The dragline in golden silk spiders surpasses the strength of "Kevlar," which is a fiber used in bullet-proof vests. The dragline thread is biodegradable, stronger than steel, and economically valuable.” http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Nephila_clavipes.html


These spiders only bite in defense (Ex: if you hold or pinch them) and even if you get bit there is very little danger. The bite causes a slight pain and slight redness, which goes away within 24 hours. The bite is less severe than a bee sting.
So this is why I felt the need to save this spider when it got all tangled up in his web. I did not want this lovely creation to die!!! Plus he is just so cute! See him???

see me?

WOW, that's big!

agressive pose

safe at last

what a cute little furry face :-D

Mom's turn: Birthday Bliss

The Best Birthday Ever
Each passing year just keeps getting better and better…no wonder they call old age “the golden year”. Today started with sweet kisses from Samson

and breakfast in bed (well, at the computer *grin*) consisting of coffee and chocolate-raspberry pancakes! YUM!!

I also received an elephant book from Travis…Modoc:…the greatest elephant that ever lived.

How perfect is that!?!? Along with several loving wishes from friends and family and the finale was a back rub from my better than perfect daughter!!! Over all, it was the best birthday to date.

Japanese braiding: KUMIHIMO

I learned a really fun, and interesting jewelry making craft called kumihimo, at the library. It is the Japanese art of braiding. There are many different patterns some more difficult than others. The first one I did was a black and pink twist; it is probably one of the easiest patterns.

my first braid

I added beads to this particular one but you do not have to add beads. My favorite one is a lot more time consuming but still not difficult.

ARGH - can anything beautiful really come out of this...YUP!

I made a necklace with my favorite pattern. You can make all of them really colorful. My mom made one that when you finish it looks like a bunch of little hearts.

you have my heart all wrapped up

You can even take a silver string and add it to the braid. Kumihimo is a very fun hobby that people should try. Here is a great web sight for supplies, ideas, etc.:http://www.weirdollsandcrafts.com/kumihimo/kumihimo.html

GEAUX TIGERS...of course we have to have purple and gold accessories!

Mom's turn:SOBE a.k.a. South Beach

Sweet snuggles

Travis had a presentation to do in Miami Beach for our company, UOS, so he invited Teeny and I along to make it a family vacation.

Sharing a piece of paradise

We drove 14 hours so we could bring our fur-babies…they are so worth it!


Samson and O'Malley enjoying the ride...well one of them anyway.

We passed through St. Augustine, FL which is the oldest inhabited town in the USA. It was established by Don Pedro Menendez in 1565, “forty-two years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts - making it the oldest permanent European settlement on the North American continent.” We have to throw some education in there for Teeny’s home schooling, but what a fun way to learn! Travis stopped at a wonderful spot on the beach for us where we got out and let the dogs run.

St. Augustine beach

The sand was amazingly soft and made up entirely of crushed shells. We drove on in to Miami Beach and, after checking into the hotel, went to the beach to float our troubles away in the wonderfully warm Atlantic Ocean. We stayed at the Chelsea that was decorated in a Zen-like atmosphere with amber lighted rooms and floating Japanese style furniture and right in the middle of town so we could walk everywhere.

a room similar to ours

We ate lots of wonderful food at restaurants like the Big Pink, La Sandwicherie, and several other lovely places and then walked all over the strip looking in on Miami Ink and their new club down the road along with many other stores all along the way. We enjoyed learning about the art deco style that is famous in South Beach

Teeny and I playing in a round wall decoration

a building in the art deco style - lots of round corners

and also the beautiful original coral house that is being renovated for a restaurant.

original coral house in SoBe

We even saw part of the filming of Burn Notice on the strip and lots of Quaker parrots, also known as monk parrots.

here birdie, birdie, birdie

And of course we filled the rest of the hours with splashing in the waves and shopping. The trip was a success because Travis said his meeting went AWESOME and he felt really confident with his and David’s presentation…all I know is that he looked super handsome and very professional when he left and I’m proud to be his wife.

my hubby, CEO of UOS...I'm so proud

On our return trip, we passed through the Everglades and drove up the west coast of Florida to see the rest of the state. We drove and drove and drove!!!!! Naples was beautiful with all of the very large houses, but the rest of the drive was kind of plane and rainy. Vacation is over; back to reality…we stopped by the Biloxi house to finish packing and drove on in to Baton Rouge.

relaxed and ready to take on the world

handsome blue eyes, no wonder I love him so much!

sandy smiles

BEAUTIFUL!

Henna Happiness

For my birthday this year, I wanted a tattoo…okay, don’t panic, it was just henna! I invited several friends and we all learned what henna was and it’s significance in certain cultures.
There are many different ways to mix up henna. One way is:
Sift out enough henna to make about 1-1 ¼ cups dry sifted henna.
Take to packets of instant coffee singles (the ones that look like tea bags_ and boil hard in about 1 ½ cups of water until it boils down to about ¾ of a cup of dark liquid.
Mix just enough coffee into the powder to create a thick paste. The hot liquid will make the powder ball up a little, so be sure to mix it until it is well blended and smooth. Add about 2 tablespoons lemon juice; fresh is best.
Add about 5 drops of eucalyptus oil.
Add about 5 drops of clove oil.
After you make your paste you will need something to put it in. There are bottles you can buy or you can make freezer bag cones. I have done henna 5 times and I LOVE it! Although most Americans do henna just for fun, the East Indian people do it for festivals and take it very seriously. For instance, for the bride’s wedding she spends a whole entire day just on her Henna. The bridal party and family turn her body into a story with henna tattoos. Here is a sight I have found that is really good. http://www.hennapage.com/henna/schools/index.html

birthday girl's butterfly

Jordyn's turtle

Morgan's dragonfly




Brooke's squiggles



an "after" shot - this is what the tattoo looks like when the henna is wiped off...Brenna's flower

My Baby

This is my baby, O’Malley. My dad brought his mom home when I was 2, (my mom was not as excited as I was) and O’Malley was born when I was 2 and a half. I got his name from the movie The Aristocrats, O’Malley was the ally cat, but he is O’Malley the ally dog ;-). He is now very old, but still very puppy at heart.

HAPPY - see my tail wag?

streeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch

YUM - I love treats.

Mom's turn: Biker's WHAT!?!?!?!?!

Well – we had a pretty good ride today in spite of the rain and then heat, getting faster...but so is everyone else so I still feel like I'm the back of the pack :-/ somewhat frustrating. I am also suffering from "biker's backache" - a condition caused by weak psoas muscles...requiring steps to " strengthen and stretch in all the right places... simultaneously build[ing] strength in your stabilizing muscles, such as the abs and back, and lengthen the tight muscle chains in your hips and legs," with yoga- and Pilates-style exercises recommended. Apparently this happens when you "over train, trying to get better strength and performance, you may override this balance. Running (particularly sprinting) may overdevelop and tighten the hamstrings. The pull of these muscles on the pelvis as you ride passes stresses along to the spine. You need to develop the muscles along the front of the spine -- the 'tenderloin' psoas muscles in front of the spine and the abdominal muscles." OH GOODIE! Who would have thought one set of tiny muscles could cause so many problems.

There's the culprit...but aren't they an awesome looking pair!

More information can be read at these sites:
http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-4-22-14977-1,00.html

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/goodies/backache.htm