Mom's turn: The perfect tree...AGAIN?

One particularly lovely tradition that we started a few years ago is to recycle our Christmas tree into a yard ornament for the birds. My hubby digs a hole and gets it out for us and my DD and I make all sorts of bird treat ornaments for the tree.

Stringing the garland

a pinecone covered in peanut butter and then rolled in fruitflavored bird food

some leftover bird treats we had in the pantry

Can't forget the tree-topper...an apple core. Birds love fresh fruit

Then for the next several months we get to watch the different wild life visit the yard and try to get pictures. Hmmm…I can see we need to try harder!

who's the photographer anyway?!?!?!?!

HEY - maybe she could use lessons...what a great Mother's Day present *hint hint*

For some reason the birds aren't sticking around much this year. AH HA! I found the culprit...he lays on the porch and waits for them to land before chasing them out of his yard!

That's a very inocent look you have there, Samson!

Mom's turn: Groomy Time

My friend’s blog about poor Abrial made me laugh SOOO hard and then I realized hadn’t shared any of my grooming stories about our dogs. Unfortunately the funniest one I have has no pictures to go with it.

O'Malley with his winter coat partially grown out now - we'll get him PROFESSIONALLY groomed in mid-March

When my DD was younger, she decided to take on the task of shaving her dog’s winter coat off for the summer…with a pair of scissors! He’s half Pomeranian and has a lot of hair when his coat has grown out, so needless to say, he looked incredibly “holey” after she was finished and we referred to him as the wiffle dog for an entire year! She was heartbroken because my first reaction was to laugh hysterically when she produced her “groomed O’Malley”. I felt so bad because through her little tears she said, “I was just trying to save you some money.” BAD MOMMY!!!!!! I think I made up for the feeling-blunder though, because now it’s a running family joke that she even laughs about.

HELP MOMMY...I CAN'T SEE!!!!!!!!!

My other fur-baby needs daily grooming, just brushing to prevent matting, when he’s sporting a show coat and weekly grooming, which includes dental hygiene as well, when I keep him in a puppy cut.

Sporting a freshly trimmed "puppy cut"...but it was cold that day so we needed a sweater to go with it.

A full groom session, which I do every two weeks or so, takes me a little over an hour and includes: trimming his toenails, “buzzing” his ears and paw pads, rounding his fur shape on his upper paws, conditioning his pads, brushing his teeth, conditioning his coat, and redoing his topknot (complete with bow even though he’s a male Yorkshire Terrier…there are plenty of “boy bows” available).

when my beard gets too long I step on it when I play "bone"...I don't like that!

For the last two years I’ve kept him in a shorter coat

my first haircut...mommy cried!!!

…my HH has convinced me he’s happier and can play more.

goodness knows he has enough toys!!!

Also – honestly it’s less I have to keep up with even though I think he was absolutely the most beautiful Yorkie I had ever seen when he was in full show coat!!!The most frequent question I get is, “how do you get him to hold still for that?” I promise this is not a problem…he sees it as his personal spa day when life is definitely ALL ABOUT ME in his melt-your-heart brown eyes!He usually falls asleep in my lap during the process, waking up only when nudged at the end to run directly to the cabinet for his “good boy” treat when we’re done!!

pampering time...he has is very own "groomy box" full of STUFF

who's interrupting with that flash?!?!?!?

is it time for my foot rub yet???? I like my pads conditioned :-)

Mom's turn: Hooky Date

Everyone needs a break from the daily grind now and then…SOOOO, when the weather is beautiful and you own a convertible that sounds like the perfect time to me!Off we go – first stop a manicure because pampering on a hooky day is essential! Besides – what better way to boost your spirits when you have to venture to Wal-Mart for groceries!Then on to Wally-world to wander endlessly up and down the isles searching for something I need, finding another thing I don’t need, loosing all track of time, rushing through self-checkout in order to make it to Japanese tutoring on time, and leaving without ever buying what I went there for in the first place! AHHH - what kind of hooky date is that!?!?! However, now I have a new chauffeur – so I can relax on the way home and let the breeze blow the cares of the world out of my heart with the top down on this glorious pre-spring day in Southern Louisiana!

Mom's turn:Where did the weekend go?

Ever spend hours of your time and wonder what happened because you felt so productive but can’t see the results?? We spent the entire weekend working in the back yard because the weather was so beautiful...but after all was done it was hard to tell what exactly we got accomplished. My husband is great at landscaping and getting things right that don’t show – like the fertilizer in the soil, the level of the ground so plants don’t drowned during the rainy season, sun light perfected by removing trees & limbs, etc. So it’s hard to notice where all the man power went as he lays the groundwork for a beautiful and productive backyard oasis. This time I thought I’d document our progress!!

NOW I see where all of our time went :-D And my wonderful hubby has informed me that we are not done yet!!! So I must get off of the computer and out to the yard...

Mom's turn: Be My Valentine

My hubby made me the most delicious dinner last night: a chocolate raspberry Creole cream cheese cake to go with the grilled blue cheese & garlic steak, stuffed sweet potato, and a wonderful bottle of 2004 Masi Campofiorin – a supervenetion Italian red wine!!!!! I’m still full this morning and it’s a good thing I ran yesterday...there's no way I'm doing anything today except getting another slice of that delicious cheese cake!! He’s such a sweet valentine :-D And my DD made the most precious cards for us and included tickets for “one free massage” in them…I can’t wait to use mine! I feel so very special and loved in this wonderful family of mine!

Hatshepsut

One of the most famous pharaohs was actually a woman! She was not the only woman ruler in Egypt but one of the most popular next to Cleopatra. Her name was Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut ruled for about 20 years as pharaoh. It is suspected that she was killed by Thutmose III, her son, so he could take his rightful place as pharaoh.

Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose (also known as Tuthmosis) and Queen Ahmose Nefertari. At a young age she married her half brother Thutmose II who was even younger than her. Soon after that Thutmose II died leaving behind Hatshepsut a son, Thutmose III, and a daughter, Neferure. Scholars say that Hatshepsut was trying to prepare her daughter Neferure to become the next pharaoh. The reason they say this is because portraits of her daughter have been found of her wearing false beards and sidelocks of male youth. After Thutmose II died the next in line for pharaoh was Thutmose III. Since he was so young Hatshepsut was appointed as his regent. They ruled together for a few years then Hatshepsut crowned herself as pharaoh.

Hatshepsut ruled for about 20 years. During that 20 years Egypt flourished. She expanded trading and built magnificent temples while also restoring others. Eventually Thutmose III became a man and wanted what was rightfully his. It is said he might have even poisoned her. When he became King he had all of Hatshepsut’s names cut out of the wall and all her pictures destroyed in every temple. He wanted her completely forgotten because it was an embarrassment to Egypt having a woman as pharaoh.

Hatshepsut’s remains were thought to be lost but in June 2007 a tomb was found that was identified by her molar tooth. The tooth is an exact match to another tooth they found in a box with Hatshepsut’s name on it. Even though scientist think Hatshepsut was murdered they say if she was not she would not have lived much longer. They say that there are signs of metastatic bone cancer, liver cancer, and diabetes in her mummy.

Hatshepsut proved during her lifetime that a woman was able to succeed as pharaoh, as well as a good ruler during Egypt's 18th dynasty. She achieved much including expanding territory, broadening trade, building and restoring temples, and holding stable order in Egypt. Although there were many men who reigned before and many after, Hatshepsut proved to be an equal among them then, golden beard or not. Even though her legacy was almost completely erased, today’s society is able to see what the benefits of a good women with political and social power could be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatshepsut
http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/hatshepsut.html
http://www.egyptologyonline.com/hatshepsut.htm
http://www.bediz.com/hatshep/story.html

Mardi Gras Mystery

It is a big tradition to wear a mask on Mardi Gras! For one day you can be anonymous to the world. Many Hollywood celebrities come down to New Orleans on Mardi Gras so they can be free for a day! Most people wear masks and costume to get the bead throwers on the floats attention. The more they like your costume the more stuff they will throw you. Couples often color coordinate or deliberately contrast their costumes. Groups of friends can all wear the same mask to recognize each other in the crowd.Men dress as women and women dress as men. It is a blast! Also masks can be made out of anything! Masks are made out of feathers, sequins, glitter, ceramics, and even plaster. People can choose to wear a stickmask or a Zorro type mask. The idea of Fat Tuesday in New Orleans is to wear a mask, any kind of mask, or costume. It is part of the fun and festivities that make Mardi Gras such an unusual holiday.

The reason the Mardi Gras “king” started was since America didn't have royalty to properly welcome the Grand Duke, the men in Rex created a king "for the day" so the Grand Duke could be royally received. They secretly anointed one of their own (a certain Mr. Halliday) to be the King of Carnival. Mockery is a hilarious characteristic of Mardi Gras! (To this day, many parades keep their King's identity a secret until parade day.)This year’s king of Bacchus was Hulk Hogan.

Mom's turn: A Visitor from Tennessee

We had a visitor all the way from Franklin, TN…his name was Flat Evan. He’s based off of a character in the book Flat Stanley, by Jeff Brown and part of a school project to keep children interested in reading. He came to New Orleans just in time to celebrate Christina’s birthday and Mardi Gras holidays with us!

girls being silly

For Christina’s birthday Flat Evan enjoyed playing games, watching movies, and eating king cake for dessert.

Showing some love

It was Christina’s 15th birthday, so she was working on her driving permit and took him for a ride. WATCH OUT, make sure you wear your seatbelt!!!

Flat Evan was nervous!!

He also got to play with our dog Samson…well, sort of. Samson really wanted to eat Flat Evan, see his tongue peaking out!

yuuuuuuum

On to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA for a weekend of fun. Surprisingly, the weather was perfect for the earliest Mardi Gras date in the history of Mardi Gras. We went to all sorts of parades, including Bacchus and my favorite Orpheus, and caught bags and bags of beads.

throw me somethin' mister!

Flat Evan got LOTS of beads

Flat Evan even got to attend Orpheuscapade, a very formal ball with lots of celebrities and we saw another Flat Stanley character.We didn’t introduce ourselves because they were on the other side of the floats, and even though Flat Evan is flat, we didn’t want to be the next ones to get flattened by crossing the parade barricade!!

a close up view of one of the beautiful floats with hand-painted flowers and fiber optic lighting on all three cars

We had fun and hope that Flat Evan did as well. Come visit again some time and we’ll see what else Louisiana has to offer.