Wordles (For Nerdles)

Oh this is just such a simple, supersweet idea! Just go to the Wordle Website, and type in your blog url and tada...out comes a pretty, printable phrase picture, created from the most-used words found on the url source. The one shown above was generated from my blog posts this week :) Instead of using your blog url, you can put in any website, really, or (adorable gift idea alert!) you can even cut & paste a bunch of text of whatever you like from wherever you like (maybe a storybook, textbook, poem, letter, invitation, etc.) Funstuff. Freestuff, too!

Let Your Love Flow

Admit it...you know you like that strange Prius commercial with the little kids dressed up as flowers & clouds & stuff...


That catchy song (called Let Your Love Flow) is sung by the musician shown above: the cheerful-voiced Petra Haden (mp3 download via Hi-Fi Heart.)

Focusing on Joy

These darling little 5 Good Things booklets are great for helping kidlets learn to journal. It's easypeasy: reflect upon each day, and then just record their five most very favorite moments in the provided fill-in-the-blank spots. These are perfect for recording vacation memories... or, really, for everyday days, too. Plus, they're free for the downloading! Thank You, Whisker Graphics!

After you download, be sure to take a peek at Whitney's delightful etsy shop (filled with lots of animaly, nature-themed lovelies.)

Doris Day, Worldsy Tunes, Inner-Austens

These are THREE THINGS I LOVE RIGHT NOW:

1. PERSON: Doris Day. Doris Day has made some of the most delightful romantic comedies ever. Pillow Talk is my personal favorite, but she's made lots & lots more. She also has the sweetest-sweetest singing voice (visit this site for tons of free, downloadable mp3 bliss.)

In her "outside-the-industry" real life, Ms. Day is just as delightful. After stepping away from her prior focus on film & music, she now puts her full attention into her many non-profit animal welfare endeavors, including the Doris Day Animal Foundation. And if you're ever lucky enough to be visiting Carmel, CA, she also owns the Cypress Inn (which is not only superprettypretty, but also welcomes cats and dogs!)

Matchy Music: Que Sera Sera mp3, by Doris Day, (Via pcdon.)

2. PLACE: Eardrums Music (Alliance Pact Project Page.) On the 15th of each month, this site puts together "26 blogs from 26 countries to present 26 bands and 26 songs." If you're a musicfreak, you'll reallyreally love visiting; it's such a treat to hear the variety of different types of music, all neatly collected in one spot.

Take a listen to one of my favorite (lovely & kid-friendly) songs featured for July: Un, Deux, Trois, mp3 by raised-in-France chanteuse Jessica Fichot.

3. THING: The Jane Austen Book Club. This is a movie, based on a book, about a book club with members whose characters are based on characters from books. Sounds confusing, right? But it's actually not.

Here's the plot: a group of ladies form a book club, and each time they meet they talk about a different Jane Austen book (which shouldn't come as a surprise, because, duh, that's sort of evident in the name of the movie, right?) Anyways, as the movie unfolds, you can start seeing different Austen characters within each of the book club members. It's quite girlishly, nerdishly-delicious to find yourself saying "Ah-ha! That one is a total Fanny Price!" And really, hasn't every Austen-lover mused over which Austen character they found most like themselves?

Take the Quiz here!

Besides the clever concept, the relationship stories-within-the-story are relatable, sweet, and sad-silly, PG13-hilarious. 100% (grownup) girly-girl. Perfect viewing for those lazy, jammies-all-day days :)


So, those are three things I love right now. If you have a blog, maybe you'll want to try sharing three things weekly or monthly, or wheneverly. Then there'll be six happy things, then nine, then... maybe one day...2,400! Yay for happy things!

Wedding Photo I-Spy Scavenger Hunts

These darling, printable table-topper lists (free for the downloading from Martha) are perfect for weddings, reunions, big family BBQs... pretty much any occasion with lots of grownups and a smattering of kidlets, too. You simply place the lists on the tables with little disposable cameras and pencils, and the kids can wander the event looking for each perfect shot, marking them off as they go. This is great for keeping boredom at bay, and it also encourages mingling with new friends. You're also sure to get some superunique, kids-eye-view photos us old-timers would be likely to miss. Really cute idea!

Sunny Sunday

"Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun."

~ Kahlil Gibran

Matchy Music: Flower in the Night mp3, by CALLmeKAT (via Aurgasm.)

Photo by Festive Frog.

Squirrel Olympics

Red squirrels aren't just cute, they're natural acrobats, and truly clever critters:

Pretty Perfect Plates

Aren't these custom kid-face silhouette plates from Aedriel Originals's just the sweetest things? Besides the clever silhouette design, she also makes other superduperdarling, gift-perfect, naturey-themed plates for weddings, birthdays, & other celebratory occasions. Go take a peek :)

Matchy Music: Plates & Saucers mp3 by The Acorn, (via Chromewaves.)

Free Printable Animal Buddies

I just love these colors and shapes from Lotta Bruhn... they're just so retroy modern (if that makes sense...) You can print um out on adhesive paper and make them stickers, or just use card stock and turn them into cute little Popsicle stick puppets, bookmarks, & the like. Cutecutecute.

Starry Stars Site

Check out NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day Site for these (and tons more!) pretty space pics.

Sciencey Star Facts:

* The sun is a star.

* Scientists belive the sun is about 4.6 billion years old.

* Twinkling of stars is caused by movements in the Earth's atmosphere.

Matchy Music: Stars (Disco Pusher ReMix) mp3, by Au Revoir Simone (via 199X )

Man Saves Dog From Alligator

Lucky Mandy (shown above) was recently rescued from the mouth of a gator. Hooray for human heroes!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

If you live in a wildlife-adjacent area known for having predators, always remember to keep your dog on-leash while outside. Dogs are tempting, easy, delicious prey for animals like gators, mountain lions, bears, coyotes, etc. And when a predator attacks a domestic animal, the predator can't really be blamed...she's simply following her instincts. It's up to us humans to make sure our dogs & cats are safe at all times, and this includes making sure we don't put them in vulnerable outdoorsy situations.

The Mean Kitty Song

neeheehee...

A little Green, A little Blue...

" I thank you God for this most amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and for the blue dream of sky; and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."
~ E.E. Cummings

Matchy Music: Little Green mp3, (Joni Mitchell cover) by Alicia Wiley , (via Cover Lay Down.)

Pool Party Snacklet

How cute are these adorable pudding snacks from Her Cup Overfloweth? Visit the site for the easypeasy directions (and for loads more creative, kidlety ideas.)

Wastin' Away (Again) in Margaritaville

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time” - John Lubbock

Crocheted lounging rainbow puppy Margaritaville Print by Etsy Artist Patti Haskin.

Matchy (Margaritaish) Music: Summer Wastin' mp3 (A Belle & Sebastian) Cover, by Ana Egge (via Cover Lay Down.)

Squirrely Squirrels Memory Test

Watch this interesting, nutsy experiment:


(WARNING: please don't try this at home, as suggested... some squirrels can get superdemanding & creepish when it comes to food distribution...it's much safer for both of you if your squirrel friends are observed in their natural state sans snacks.)

Itsy Bitsy Boulder Buddies

Take a peek at these extracute and easy stone & rock projects (like these happy "Rock My World" thought drop pebbles from Queen of Arts, shown above...)

pretty garden markers from By Little Hands

...Creative Story Stones by Red Bird Crafts...

...and adorable pet rocks from The Magic Onions...

Visit the links for all the funstuff steps :)

*A Note For Pet Parents: Please be sure to keep rocks & stones out of doggy mouth-reach (creative pups often turn these into dangerous homemade chew toys.)

Cassidy Covers, 5 Orange Potatoes, Creepy Creatures

These are THREE THINGS I LOVE RIGHT NOW:

1. PERSON: Eva Cassidy is my current folksy girly singer obsession, and she's covered some of the sweetest, most sleepy-summer-perfect songs my ears have ever had the pleasure to hear.

Take a little listen:

* Who Knows Where the Time Goes mp3, originally by Sandy Denny (via Cover Lay Down.)

* American Tune mp3, originally by Paul Simon (via Cover Lay Down.)

* Song Bird mp3, originally by Fleetwood Mac (via Life in A Paper Cup.)

Sadly, Eva passed away in 1996 of Melanoma... but her music continues to sooth, simmer, and delight :)





2. PLACE: 5 Orange Potatoes is a lovely, kidcentric & nature-oriented blog that has all sorts of fun tutorials and pretty pixs & poems, too. Take a quick looksee @ these inspiring, smile-inducing posts:
Ultraviolet Detectives,
Life Inside a Pinecone,
Weaving With Nature,
Mud Critter Sculptures,
& the fairy-friendly Wishing Tree.



Besides sharing tons of crafty outdoorsy ideas, Miss Lisa also takes the time to include special little tidbits (like curriculum tie-ins & science facts.) I just Lovelovelove this place (and you will, too!)






3. THING: Creepy Creatures, by Sneed B. Collard III (I dare you not to love a book by an author with a name like that!)

Here's an excerpt from the first page:
"Earth is home to millions of different creatures. Some of them please us. Some frighten us. Others make us say "Blech!" Yet no matter how we feel about it, each animal is special. At first, you might think this book is filled with scary, creepy creatures. But each animal's scary looks or habits serve a purpose. They allow the animal to live in its own special way and place. Are the animals in this book really scary? Turn the page to find out."

Enticing, right? So get the book and turn the page :) You'll find out all sorts of really fascinating (and often silly, sweet, funny) facts about "scary" animals, both famous species and obscure. I especially love the map at the back of the book, marked with animal icons that designate where each critter originates. It's creepycool stuff for those kids who delight in all things yuck (and, depending on your individual child's spook-threshold, prolly best for ages 4ish and up...)


So, those are three things I love right now. If you have a blog, maybe you'll want to try sharing three things weekly or monthly (er, yes, I'm aware I haven't listed 3things since April, ahem...) Anyways. Then there'll be six happy things swimming around out there, then nine, then... maybe one day...2,400! Yay for happy things!

Duck Tummy Trouble

Most of us animal-loving types have happy childhood memories of feeding ducks little crumbles of bread or crackers... but it's actually reallyREALLY not a helpful thing to do. There are multiple Naturalisty reasons why it's not a helpful thing to do, but the most important is... it can make ducks very sick. Digesting superstarchy foods can cause their internal organs to become engorged, which can lead to things like heart disease and liver damage. Another problem is that breadsy foods also have very little nutrients, but they DO create a feeling of fullness... sooo poor little duckies chow down, fill their tummies, but wind up not having enough healthy "body fuel." And you know how a mouthful of bread or crackers can sometimes get really glue-like, and it sticks to the roof of your mouth and sides of your teeth or gums and it's just really annoying until you brush your teeth?... Ducks have a special organ called a crop, and these starchy foods can get glopped up and impacted inside their crop (this is a very painful, and life-threatening condition.)

Instead of feeding ducks, lure your kids into curiosity mode:
* "What do the wild ducks in your area use as a natural food source?" (Find out together by researching online, referring to books, or by visiting your local wildlife rehab center.)
* "What are your favorite foods to eat?"
* "What do you think might happen to your body if your tummy only had room for bread?"
* "What can we do to help wild ducks grow up healthy & strong?"


While visiting your ducky buddies, try shifting your focus to:
* Using real binoculars (yes, with help, preschoolers can use these tools!)
* Using homemade pretend (cardboard tube) binoculars (like these)
* Watching how ducks move (and mimicking them)
* Listening to how ducks sound (& learning the word "duck" in ASL.)
* Looking for "Duck Evidence" (feathers, tracks etc.) w/a magnifying glass
* Taking photos of the ducks
* Drawing or painting pictures of the ducks


If you feel you must feed ducks, consider less-dangerous munchies like:
* Water Fowl Pellets/Crumbles (Mazuri Feeds, Nutrena Waterfowl, etc.)
* Thawed Frozen Corn or Peas
* Kale or Romaine Bits

Or, instead of feeding real ducks, maybe feed your stash of bathtub rubber duckies (I hear they find invisible lemon skittles quite tasty...)

Sunday Silly

"Summer Winds Did Blow Her Hair..."

Sweet summer sunshine from Alela Diane's newest album, To Be Still.

Pigeons: Natural Navigators & Memory Masters

While they can seem pesky and vapid, Pigeons are actually unexpectedly talented and skillsy. Did you know that 30 pigeons have been awarded with medals of valor?

Matchy Music: Birds Fly Away mp3, by Theresa Andersson (via This Mornin' I Am Born Again.)

(Cutest) World's Ugliest Dog 2009

Pabst (4-year-old Boxer-mix) The World's Ugliest Dog title winner.

"Ugly" dogs are some of my favorites... underbites, overbites, wonky eyes... call me kooky, but I think those things are superduperdarling. Here's a couple more past award-winning, creepy-cute cutiecakes (the charming Miss Ellie, and PeeWee Martini):

Ravens: Beautiful, Brainy Birds

Most people aren't aware of how smart birds are. Here's a fun little clip about Raven intelligence:

Matchy Music: Big Bird in a Small Cage mp3, by Patrick Watson (via Road to Nowhere)

Ador-A-Bulldog Calendar Contest

Do you have a cutiepie Bulldog? The Ador-A-Bulldog Calendar Contest is looking for "calendar dogs" for a contest running from July 1 to Aug. 15, 2009, and 100% of all proceeds will benefit bulldog rescues (yay!) For more info on rules and suchandsuch, please visit the submission site :)

Free Printable Beach Party Invites

How pretty are these darling, happy starfish invitations? They're perfect for beachy birthdays, bonfires, & BBQs. Visit Tricia-Rennea Art to download them for free (yay!)

Firecracker Freebies

Print out these darling little tags (from Living Locurto) to quickly snazzy-up giftlet baggies of snacks & things. Just hole-punch, tie on with ribbon, and tada!... What a cute, simple way to add a festive, 4thy touch (thanks, Amy!)

Bella & Tara... Bestest Buddies

Oh My Gosh, this could be one of the sweetest animal buddy stories ever.

Easy Fireworks-Festive Ideas

Steal these supersimple, sixty-second ideas (like the berry drink garnishes from Country Living, shown above)...

...or a berries-&-cream-decorated flag cake (from Yum Sugar.)

... or from Martha Stewart, free printable sparkler-cover place card favors ...and free printable ice cream sugar cone covers.

Matchy Music: I'm on Fire mp3, the (Bruce Springsteen) cover by The Snow.

4th of July Playlist Picks

There's actually lots (and lots!) of USAy, 4th-themed songs out there, but these are my very personal favorites. Some are pretty, some rocksy-cool, some are cheezy, some are even, um, odd... it's a good mix, if I do say so myself (and I do say so myself!):