When you are a mom there are things you do just for your children...It matters not if these activities will in any shape, form or fashion be of any interest to you...You are a mom, and as so must put on your super mom cape and move through your kids day with a smile and a big bag of chocolate chip cookies....

Samantha is my youngest daughter as you might know by now ....she is a pill....ACTIVE....should of been her first name.

Hi, my name is Active...yours is.....

A couple of weekend ago I took Sam to the Zoo, just the two of us...Now what you must first know about Sam is the zoo is a giant race track, once you have entered the gates it's all systems go and she is off.....She is the only child I know who can see an entire zoo in 45 minutes flat....There is no waiting around to see what the bears might be doing or talking to the birds....Sam passes by each enclosure with the speed of a bullet train...

Stopping only to refuel with pink and blue cotton candy and a extra large Dr.Pepper....(Yes I know I had it coming)Sam's favorite place at the zoo is the butterfly house...I like it there too...they have benches

Butterflies from around the world float like falling snow overhead and if you stand still one might just land on you...

No need to go to the gym when you are with Sam...even this sweet, wonderful, active child can run out of steam...and when she does it's not pretty...

Ready for a good meal and a hot bath my little Sam has tuckered herself out....wanting to be carried back to the car we gather up our stuff owl purchased at the gift shop and walk slowly step by step towards her waiting taxi, where Mom will don yet another hat and head for home...

I love this piece...what a beauty....Tia Kramer is one of the 2012 artist showing her amazing work at the Smithsonian Craft Show 2012...There are works of real art created by real artist....so check out the show online at smithsoniancraftshow.org ....remember to shop local and support your local artist, small business shops and farmers...

Good morning friends,

What an amazing day...Last nights storm set down a tornado about 150 miles south of where we live...no one was hurt...Thank goodness......The children and I sat still and listened to the sounds of the rain as it beat the top of the house....the wind picked up and the rain flooded our back yard and the pond behind our home....so beautiful was the land touched by this morning sunrise that all my songbirds where up ready to greet us....

I truly love living in Texas...Sun sun sun here it comes...

What I love the most about Texas is the way the weather can change on a dime... Our cool mornings may lead the way into warm afternoons or even a passing thunder storm... you have to live here to understand that a good pair of rain boots are a must have, they simple sit next to the countless pairs of flip-flops a Texas girl keeps in her closet....

Example....This morning the air was cool and the breeze soft...blowing the trees around just enough that the first flowering buds left their limbs to sail through the air like tiny kites.....Tonight I will bring out the candles and the flashlights one for each girl...we will sit upstairs and watch the light show as it passes overhead, lighting up the house for one bright second before dropping us back into the dark...we will smile at each other and scream a little bit as the thunder claps, announcing the onset of the RAIN RAIN RAIN...All to soon the storm will pass and we will snuggle down into our beds to awake to another bright Texas morning.

I can't start to tell you how much my family loves Blueberry muffins.....It's sat morning the rain is still falling lightly from last nights storm,and I have just finished another batch of Blueberry muffins......The house is warm and the sweet smells are floating from room to room.....

WE all sit down at the table and chat about what rainy day games we should play today......I see the birds out back by the patio door are waiting for their muffin too....Good morning birds and I place a warm muffin on a small plate next to a garden table....It's good to have these moments when you can sit with your family and take in the day.

What do you do when the children are at school, you have taken your morning walk through the park, the house is in order,there are no lunch dates on your schedule for the day? Start a home business... The Bird and the Pumpkin... Story Boxes are painted with expression, enchantment and a bit of mischief. These colorful boxes are a perfect hiding place for your own written wishes,thoughts and dreams.

Created by folk artist Carolene Brannam, her painted story boxes seem to come to life and become more than just a hideaway for your secret trinkets; each charming box has its own identity...... These Ghouls, Mermaids and Sweet Treats have an ancestral lineage, each one carrying with theme their family's history concealed in a story, these written documents can be found underneath their Story Box lid...

Email- me at....Thebirdandthepumpkin@yahoo.com---------for pricing information, shipping and box size..... I would love to custom paint a Story Box ...for you

Look for my shop on Etsy soon.....The Bird and the Pumpkin...