Random five Friday . . .

. . . on Thursday.

1. It's homecoming week, ( which is really early this year ), which means I helped stuff almost 270 bags of candy for the football lockers....there may not be any candy left for trick-or-treaters, just sayin'. And then there is the carnival on Friday and I'll be helping the football booster again this year, serving up BBQ sandwiches in our booth...being loud, and doing football chants...fun times!

2. I took the above photo this week to decorate his football locker....oh there isn't enough Fabreze to cover that smell!

(Did I mention how I love to photograph football?!)

3. When I was in school we had a real parade, you know, down main street and the whole town came. We decorated real floats (one for each grade), and painted all the shop windows (and maybe each other) and the homecoming court all rode in their own convertibles while following the Pom Pom squad and the marching band. But that was back in a small old town with one high school. Our city is newer and there just really isn't a downtown per se and we have three high schools in our city. Which is why you have to adapt and overcome and start your own traditions. The parade has no floats, but, we have decorated grocery carts (I know your jealous)  and just goes down the road in front of the school.

4. This brings me to another tradition and this is a big Texas homecoming tradition. Mums. Nope, not a real one (although that is how the original tradition started), but an artificial mum or two or three with the addition of ribbons, more ribbons, trinkets, teddy bears, boas, you name it, it has probably been in one. The tradition of the mum involves an exchange where the boy gives the girl he asks to homecoming a mum that she wears attached to a cord or ribbon around here neck and the girl gives the boy a smaller mum attached to a garter that he wears on one of his upper arms. They wear it to school on game day and to the football game. As you can imagine, these become a "whose is bigger and better and shinier and noisier", and they can get pretty pricey. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up here, but after living in Texas for over twenty years, I still don't get it? (I added the chain and some baubles to this one I had made so it would be a little different)

5. And, last but best of all....It's Homecoming....which means my girl is coming home for the weekend! Whoo Hoo!! It feels like she has been gone forever...it's been a total of three weeks, haha. And because she will be home, I see some kind of cake or cookies or something in our future. If you follow me on instagram you'll know she likes to make cakes.

Have a fantasitic weekend friends!!

Love, Kim

linking with Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Friday Photo Journal, Five on Friday

There's a new kid in town . . .

Yep,

While I was away in Chicago, my sweet daughter (who does not like critters of any kind...at all) tended to almost 40 caterpillars and released over 20 butterflies! And then when I got back, it wasn't long before I was releasing the ones that pupated while I was gone. Then I sat back and waited, and waited, and checked my milkweed . . . and nada. No eggs, no babies! It's been a month since I've been back and only last week did I spy come cats on my milkweed, but only 5? So unusual with a release of that many to only find a handful, but honestly, there were very few females in that whole lot!

But, we have had an influx of mosquitoes like no body's business. Seriously, it's just so bad. The worst I've seen it ever since moving here to the humidity capitol of the world. We hadn't even had much rain? So, about a week went by that I didn't check the plants. Sheesh, I couldn't even go out and water them with out getting attacked and coming back in looking like I had been in battle, and that was in  long pants, and a hoodie sweatshirt, with the drawstring pulled, lol! Did I mention our feel like temps have still been near or over 100.

{ KK violet}

So, doused with chemicals, I have been going out to check the plants more often and (look above) what I found! Do you notice anything different about that caterpillar? Sorta looks like a Monarch at first glance, but it's not. Right away I noticed that this caterpillar has three sets of tubercles (antennae) which means it's a Queen Butterfly. Their markings in the first instars are also slightly different than that of the Monarch, but probably not enough for most to notice. As of yesterday, I now have 15 queen cat babies safely tucked in my dining room.

I have to say that those darn skeeters are really cramping my morning coffee time on my front porch, and my roaming the garden with my camera. I can't spray any fog because of all my milkweed plants  . . . I know this all too well from previous experience. It is instant death to any caterpillar. I should note, that they have sprayed our neighborhood like three times in almost a week, but to no avail they just keep on keepin' on.

I was able to grin a bear it for a few minutes this morning to snap some of the dozens of bees that are loving my wild morning glory, which by the way is sooo very run a muck in my garden right now. I swear this stuff grows like 2 feet per day!

{KK peony}

And, while checking the milkweed, I found this pretty little moth hiding.

{KK Minus 43}

And then much to my surprise, this morning at the wee hour of 3 0'clock, I found this fellow in my bathroom!

I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to safely capture this little guy as they are lighting fast jumpers. He made it a little easier though jumping from the base board to the wall and that's when I won the draw and got a plastic take out bowl over him (and the lid I might add, a bit tricky too). Poked a few holes in the lid, and he waited for me on the kitchen counter til daylight. I wasn't about to let him out in the dark because hard telling what might come in through that door! haha  I was able to get the lid off and him in my hand, but as soon as I took the bowl off, he didn't wait for goodbyes, and bam a six foot jump landed him here.

He did tolerate, for about two seconds, my getting right back in his face for this mugshot though. Isn't he just the cutest? I kind of wonder how long he has been in the house. They can be loud.

{KK Kristen}

So add kermit to the list of out door that has made it inside....along with geckos, green anole lizards and a snake! Yeah, I'll share the snake story another time, haha

Have a great rest of the day,

I'll be decorating 270 football lockers tonight along with some other ladies...and bringing fabreze!

(It's homecoming week)

Love, Kim

Linking with Texture Tuesday, Tuesday Muse, Tuesdays Around the World

Photo Art Friday

"Water, the Hub of life. Water is its mater and matrix, mother and medium.

Water is the most extraordinary substance! Practically all its properties are anomalous,

which enabled life to use it as a building material for its machinery.

Life is water dancing to the tune of solids.

- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

{Pixel Dust Art texture - Just a Note}

It would seem that I have a hard time making decisions as of late, and choosing a photo for today's Photo Art Friday was no different. So, since I'm in editing  mode from my over 2500 photos I took on my trip to Chicago, I decided to just stick with a water photo from a fountain on the Riverwalk in Naperville when I was with the gals from Focusing on Life (we had a grand time by the way).

(Holy cow, I have so many things to share with you!)

I chose the square format because I really wanted to keep the focus on the falling water and drops. I used the cinema filter in picasa and then just added Bonnie's texture in overlay ...I really wanted to keep the dashing and darting of the water visible.

And,

you know, it would seem that I kind of like to photograph water... water drops, dew drops, the ocean, water fountains, my hose as I water the garden, reflections in the water, pretend rain with my spray bottle, condensation on soda cans, the rain, oil and water (tutorial here), waves, the sunrise (on the water), and I've even been know to photograph the ice in my drink.

Yep, water is pretty cool stuff, comes in all shapes and forms and it's good for ya!

Cheers!

Love, Kim

linking with Little Things Thursday, Photo Art Friday, Friday Photo Journal

Photo-heart connection, August 2013

"Home is a name, a word,

it is a strong one; stronger than

magician ever spoke, or spirit ever

answered to, in the strongest conjuration."

- Charles Dickens

{KK traverse}

I went home this summer, to the area where I grew up and although it wasn't to the house I grew

up in, it was home none the less. Or more like home away from home after being gone for over twenty years.

And, in going home, there have been a handful of addresses between childhood and my visit this summer to see my mom. In fact, I saw her new place for the first time. 

And you know what? 

Even though this was my first visit to this new address it felt just like home...instantly.

Because even though the street name or city may have changed, the contents have not.

Oh sure, there may be a few things missing and a few things added in their places, but the memories 

regardless of where home is haven't changed.

And even though things are arranged differently or moved to different rooms, she has the same beautiful, yet simple style, and no doubt any style I have I got from her.

This photo reminds me that home isn't as much about a physical place, but about the people who come back to the table. And that's just what we did on a Sunday afternoon over a family tradition of homemade egg noodles (made my moi).

Yes, home is wherever the heart is.

It's a strong word indeed, one made of bricks, and not one easily blown down by the winds of change.

Miss ya mommy!

Love, Kim

P.S. I'm still gathering myself from the college drop off and finishing up an online jewelry class

(I hope to have some fun things to share with you)

Linking up with Texture Tuesday, Tuesday Muse, Photo-Heart Connection