At The Cabin Path...a day of nature

In lieu of another day inside when God is providing such glorious weather, we decided to venture out to a place we have been longing to visit. It is the Cabins Path and we are so glad we went and met Sarah, the owner of this special place.

We started out with an introduction to The Cabin's Path and to a looksee into Sarah's discovery box which was filled with Indian artifacts and other objects found on the property. We were all impressed by the log that had been chewed by the beavers on both ends! Pretty cool.

After receiving our collecting bags, we needed out to the nature trails to find a collection of leaves in all shapes and colors. We were told we would be making a project later in the day with the leaves.

The weather was just perfect. A cool 68 degrees and zero humidity. A welcome change from the hot, humid Georgia summer days.

We stopped for a discussion about the being a pioneers and what we might look for in land to build a house on. What would you use to build your house? What kind of land would you look for?
Then we hit the trails again to look for more leaves, check out the indian graves and the beautiful lake that is part of the Cabin property.
The cabin was actually discovered by accident during a demolision by Sarah's sister's family construction business. When she saw logs underneath the vinyl siding, she knew it was worth saving and called up Sarah and asked if she wanted it. It is SO cool! I wanted to stay the night and play Little House on the Praire with the girls.
Inside the little log cabin.
The girls went shake, shake, shake and made......Butter!
It turned out perfect and was oh so yummy on Miss Sarah's corn bread made in her iron skillet. She also fed us vegetable soup and apples. The soup was cooking on the stove inside the cabin while we were on our hike.
Such a lovely setting for a fall picnic....
Then it was time to make those Indian headbands with all those leaves we collected.


We used folded strips of recycled paper bags with duck tape rolled longways and two holes on each end. The leaves were so easy to just stick on. After they were completed, we just added yarn and presto.....
C-Sunshine in an Indian Headdress
K-Doodle sporting her tribal head gear.
On our hike back......we saw a Fairie Trial!
Back at the classroom building, we got to see a fairy from the fairy workshop the week before. Darn, we missed that one!
We had such a good time with Miss Sarah at the Cabin Path and can not wait to go back. The thing I took away from this special day was written above the door of that cabin........
'nough said!

They are in Love......

with Buster! On Saturday morning, my friend Robin meet us at her stables and gave the girls an introduction to horses and then took them for a ride. Her horse's name is Buster and he is a 14 year old quarter horse and quite the gentleman. He stands about 14.2 hands. Both C-Sunshine and K-Doodle rode him around the ring, but C-Sunshine actually got to ride him alone, holding the reins and guiding him on her own. Of course, Robin was not too far away.

C-Sunshine has joined the Horse and Pony club this year with our local 4H club. So she is excited about learning more about horses. She LOVES horses and has them all over her room. She reads about horses, fiction and none. I am glad that she is getting the opportunity to be around them, learn to ride and experience life with a horse. I always loved horses too, but never got the opportunity to learn to ride or be around them first hand. One of the joys of learning at home. We get to cater to the child!


K-Doodleehad no fear whatsoever. Both girls were very comfortable around Buster and had a great time. Thanks Robin!

Almost Wordless Thursday.....

I am making some changes on our blog. I don't have the time to sit down and do them all at once, so please pardon our dust as we try to "liven" things up here.

Here's a picture to share. He was right outside our back door. I guess he just wanted to visit. He was laying on the warm rocks enjoying himself. And we enjoyed him......

It's Wild Blackberry Pickin' Time

This weekend, we spent hours outside together as a family picking blackberries. It was pretty hot and sticky, but we found a good patch and had fun picking. Atleast until the plants and their prickers started attacking us! Advice if you are going to pick blackberries - where long pants and long shirts and spray with a non-toxic bug spray. If you don't, you WILL get chigger bites!

K-Doodle out in the blackberry patch trying to find a good spot. All these blackberries actually grow in our neighborhood everywhere. There are still a lot of vacant lots (can you say recession?) so we have a lot of blackberry patches living in those spaces. Yeah for us!

Picking just the right one........

C-Sunshine taking a taste.....

The harvest. We actually got about 30 cups of blackberries. So what do you do with all those blackberries?

You make blackberry muffins!

and can some blackberry jam!

Wednesday Nature Nugget

Beginning today, we will share a nugget from our Nature study with you.

Sow some Sunflower seeds.
Sunflowers are a lot of fun to grow. They grow very quickly, and will get very tall! Make sure you choose a spot for them where they won't shade your other plants. Sunflowers need to be staked as they grow (to keep them from toppling over), and you'll need to be able to get water to them, because they drink a lot!

You can grow sunflowers for the birds, or for you. You'll have to rig some netting for the huge flowers once the seeds begin to ripen, otherwise the bird's will help themselves. We are growing ours for the birds, so that won't be a problem for us. Rub the seed heads to loosen the seeds and lay them out to dry. Then you can put them away to feed the birds all winter long. Or you can break them open and eat them!

This idea was adapted from The Kids' Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences (Williamson Kids Can! Series)

Caterpillar in a Hurry

Brown and furry
Caterpillar in a hurry,
Take your walk
To the shady leaf, or stalk,
Or what not,
Which may be the chosen spot.
No toad spy you,
Hovering bird of prey pass by you;
Spin and die,
To live again a butterfly.
- Christina G. Rossetti 1893

Meet Herbie. K-Doodle decided to keep a caterpillar that she found outside for a day or two. I agreed. He was eating like crazy, then...he started building his cocoon. Now, unfortunately, he has built it in our little bug carrier. We are going to have to keep him with us as we travel to make sure it makes it through and release him when we are able. Next time I think I will suggest we just love him and leave him alone....

Bird News

We have been doing Exploring Creation Zoology One (Flying Creatures) this year. So, it is only fitting that once again, a bird has decided that our bakers rack on our back porch is the perfect place to make a nest. We have had this baker's rack at four different houses over the years and every year a bird has decided it is the perfect spot! It is such a joy for us to watch as the Momma bird makes her nest, lays her eggs and watches over her babies. You just have to be careful doing anything near that baker's rack!
We will keep you updated...

Happy Earth Day

For Earth Day this year, we decided to plant some beauty in our front yard. We have that good ole Georgia clay, so we haven't been able to get annual's to thrive. So, we decided to start planting pots to put around in the flower beds. Both C-Sunshine and K-Doodle planted their own pot and will take care of them. They love to garden. We can't wait for Dad to get our vegetable bed ready.

Have a great week.

Will birdseed grow Mommy?

Today K-Doodle asked if she planted birdseed, would it grow? I had to tell her that I wasn't sure. I don't really know what kind of seed this particular bag is. So, she asked if she could try and see. First she found an old pizza box to use as her "pot". Then she borrowed some of her Daddy's potting soil and put it in the bottom of the pizza box.

Next she poked hole with her finger (or you can make lines) and put the seeds in the holes or lines.

We moved the pizza box to a sunny spot in the back yard.

Then K-Doodle put water on them by using a small shovel so that it wouldn't flood them.
We will now watch and wait and see what happens. Then we will know the answer. Will birdseed grow if you plant it?

Our Spring Break

We are back from a great Spring break trip to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We love being only five hours away! Our family REALLY loves the beach, especially my ex-Navy hubby. We had both my parents and my mother-in-law along for the trip, although not all in one condo. We spent time on the beach, at the pool, bike riding, shopping and just enjoying life. It was a well needed and much anticipated vacation.

C-Sunshine enjoying the sun on her face and the breeze through her hair. Can't you just smell the ocean?

K-Doodle in the "surf" trying to jump all those waves. She loved the beach and playing in the ocean until she spied a dead jelly fish! Then it was, "Can we go to the pool?"

This is an alligator we saw sunning himself by the water close to the golf course. There were a lot of alligators around where we stayed. Did you know it's a $1000 fine to feed alligators in SC?

My talented hubby took this photo of a seagull on the beach (as well as all the rest on this post).

We had a great time and can't wait to go back next year. But we did miss our cousins!