Category: Wynne/Jonesboro

A squeaky, clean birthday

March 20, 2012
Our project.

March 20 = the first day of spring and my 27th birthday!

To celebrate, my sister treated me to a soap-making workshop. Would you consider that a hint that I stink? If so, I’ll overlook that scary thought since my sister, mom and I absolutely had a blast at the event.

My sister Libby, mom and I.

So, how did we do it?

The state park-sponsored class had it’s 10 participants divided into pairs of two to make five different types of soap. My sister and I got to make charcoal soap (which is good for your skin and clearing up acne). The class also made clove and oatmeal,  Base 1, Base 2, and spearmint soaps (which mom made with her partner).

We used the cold-process method, which essentially means it’s easy to make but has a longer waiting period before the soap can be used. Anyways, our recipe called for us to:

1. First, prepare the mold. We took wax paper and covered the insides of our wooden mold box so we would be able to get the soap out after it harden.

 

Mom had to help us.
Mom had to help us.

Continue reading “A squeaky, clean birthday”

Christmas birds

March 4, 2012
Female and male Hooded Mergansers with a Great Blue Heron flying in the background. My cousin's husband was especially excited after I asked him to identify the ducks for me. I thought he was going to run out and grab his gun. Yep, I do believe I'm one of the few non-hunters in my family.

I’ve started organizing my photo archive, something I should have begun ages ago. I found many folders that I never posted so over the next few days I’ll post more pictures of past trips I’ve taken and birds I’ve seen during the past few months. Here are some birds I saw on Christmas Day while visiting my grandparents’ farm in Wynne.

Blue Jay
female Red-winged Blackbird
White-throated Sparrow
Yellow-rumped Warbler

A country life

January 3, 2012
A newborn calf stands to go to its mother.

I spent my first afternoon of 2012 at my aunt and uncle’s farm in Jonesboro. My sister and I originally went to pick out some old doors my sister needs for a do-it-yourself project, but we soon spent the majority of our visit heading out to a back pasture to see a newborn calf.

We arrived about an hour after it was born. The calf is beautiful with a grey coat and is the fourth calf born this winter. The only disgusting part of it was watching the mother eat the placenta. It makes sense that the mother would eat it since it could lead predators to her newborn, but it was still a sight I would rather not have seen.

Still, the newborn calf was one of the reasons why Jan. 1st was a great day. It also helped that the weather was nice, I was able to enjoy an amazing home-cooked meal with my immediate family, and spend the afternoon visiting with family.

Two calves and one of their mothers race to food on Jan. 1.
Flowers blooming on New Year's Day.

 

He was curious to see what we were doing.
This little girl nearly followed us every where except to the back pasture.
This chicken means business.

Fly by: 2011’s final birds.

January 3, 2012
A Red-Tailed Hawk soars through the sky on the last day of 2011.

2011 ended and 2012 began with a bang. I was able to scratch off more birds off my list of those to see with the help of my family to identify some of the birds I saw. I’m slowly learning that identifying the birds I take pictures of is the hardest part of my new hobby. Hopefully, it’ll get easier as time goes by. Still, feel free to correct me if I do misidentify a bird.

An American Robin perches on a branch near my house on Dec. 30.
An American Robin perches on a branch near my house on Dec. 30.
American Coots swim away from the road in a flooded field on Dec. 31. It's a frequent sight when I head to Wynne to visit family.
A Northern Cardinal hops around gathering food beside House Sparrows near my back door this morning.
A snow goose, Mallard duck and American Coots swim around my uncle's pond in Jonesboro on Jan. 1.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 25, 2011
It's grill time.

I have a lot to be thankful for. My work took the time to grill out for its employees, I have amazing parents, sister and brother-in-law who always have my back, and great cousins who can always make me smile.

A family affair

November 15, 2011
Goofing off as our parents' pictures were taken.

My sister Libby and I gave our mother a family photo session for Christmas last year. She had talked about having family pictures done for a while. Well, the session finally occurred some 10 months after Christmas. It was a perfect morning. We used our favorite photographer — Ernie Rice Photography out of Jonesboro — and the pictures were taken at my brother-in-law’s best friend’s farm. Continue reading “A family affair”

Country Concert

November 1, 2011

My sister and her husband often remark how they can’t believe I’m from Arkansas. My sister is super country while I’m pretty much a city girl. It’s a remark that I’ve actually heard from a lot of native Arkansan friends, however, if there is one thing we have in common, it’s country music.

Two weeks ago I attended a country music concert with my sister, her husband and their friends. It was the last stop of the tour for Miranda Lambert with special guests, the Randy Rogers Band and Justin Moore. It was a blast since I was able to hear some of my favorite songs from both her (such as White Liar and Baggage Claim) and her new group, the Pistol Annies (such as Hell on Heels and Takin’ Pills).

Here are some pictures from the event.

Miranda Lambert singing White Liar.
Justin Moore, who my brother-in-law absolutely loves to listen to. In fact, all we listened to on the way to and from the concert was a Justin Moore CD.
Pistol Annies.

St. Peter’s

September 19, 2011
St. Peter's Catholic Church has just received a new sign that is adorned with a 152-year-old bell. The church has had the bell since late 1970.

This weekend I was able to attend mass at my church back home, St. Peter’s Catholic Church. I enjoy attending church there and comparing how the church has changed (and not changed) since I attended regular mass there as a youth. Continue reading “St. Peter’s”