West Virginia's Largest Yard Sale

Okay, so apparently yard sales are a big deal around here! When I lived on Guam yard sales were few and far between and I rarely ever went to one unless it was within walking distance from my house. This year I decided to venture into the unknown, "West Virginia's Largest Yard Sale"! I am told that this is a yearly occurrence.  There was over 100 yard sales provided on a map of Upshur County alone. These 100 yard sale were just the ones on the map I am not talking about the ones that you past by on the way to get to the ones posted on the map. What and adventure! We ventured to get out of the vehicle for at least half a dozen yard sales. We probably drove by more than 50 yard sales that day. One thing is for certain we were on the road from 9:00 a.m. till about 4:00 p.m.  I was completely exhausted by the time I came home. I did however manage to get 3 dressers all for the price of $25.00! What a steal! I also manage to snag a beautiful black metal canopy bed head and foot board for the price of $50.00. I am so excited about my purchases. The dressers need some work. Then again I am also debating on leaving them the way they are I kind of think it adds a bit of character to the pieces. 

On top of the all the things we were able to find and the purchases we made we also adopted a kitten that day. My daughter took one look at her and fell in love. Although looking at that cute little orange ball of fluff it was very hard to say "No". I am a sucker for animals who need a good home and especially the animals I know for sure that no one will adopt! I am sure you are wondering why I think no one would adopt this cute little kitten. Well, I will tell you why. Because as cute and adorable as she is. This little kitten has no tail. She in my eyes is very special. I have a soft spot for the special ones.

I look forward to what I will find next year and "West Virginia's Largest Yard Sale"!
 

Beautiful Day

Today was a beautiful day! I went outside and worked in the yard  a bit. I was able to pick raspberries and gooseberries with my little girl. Of course, she was more interested in eating them than picking them. I can't say that I blame her they were really yummy! I am hoping to save up enough of these berries so I can try canning them. It is such a liberating experience to be able to pick your own berries and then can them. How wonderful to be able to know exactly where your food comes from. I love it! I have learned so much since I have been here!

My little girl and I topped the day of with admiring the lightning bugs or as we like to call them "blinkings".She was so excited when one of the blinkings decided to land on her. She didn't know if she should be scared or laugh. I told her baby the blinkings like you. After that she laughed and decided to play with it. So, that gave me the idea to go back into the house and get her bug cage. For the next half our we ran all over the place looking for blinkings to catch. After catching the blinkings to our hearts content we decided to run back into the house and show daddy.  Once daddy got a good look we took our new friends back outside to be released. I was such a special moment to share with my girl. She is already looking forward to the next time we can go out an catch some more blinkings. I can't wait!

Discovering Bird Watching

I love living here! There are always so many things to discover and find. There are many things to teach and show my little girl.  Yesterday we found a bird’s nest in a bush near by the house. We also discovered that a bird house we put out about two months ago now has the beginnings of a nest.  I don’t know that much about birds. Where I came from there were not that many birds to watch. Here in West Virginia it is very easy to take up bird watching as a hobby.  Since I have moved here I am now able to identify several birds both male and female.

 It is exciting for me to see birds like the Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, or even the Red- breast Grosbeak. The varieties of birds out here in the country are just amazing. I love looking out my picture window in the morning and seeing all the birds in the field.  I still have much to learn about birds. I know it will be awhile before I can identify them by their bird call.

 A week or so ago I was outside around dusk and I kept hearing this sound. The sound sounded little water droplets falling. I kept thinking, 'what in the world is that’! I heard water but I was nowhere near a water source. It took me awhile to realize that it was in fact a bird. After doing a little research I discovered that the bird I was hearing is called a Brown- headed Cowbird. 

 Here is an interesting link I found about birds http://www.allaboutbirds.org

This website has all types of information regarding birds. The website will help you with identifying birds and life history of each bird. On the website you will find that there are sound and video clips. There are even tips on how to locate the bird you are interested in.

 I love the idea of learning something new. The thought of trying out a new hobby is equally exciting. I look forward to including some video clips in the future, of the birds I have seen here in West Virginia.

More on Storms

Here is the link to the results from episode #30 "Son of a Gun". In this episode they experimented with lightning and these were there findings : http://mythbustersresults.com/episode30

I guess the best thing anyone can do is when in doubt, wait til the storm passes. It never hurts to be too careful. 

Storms, Storms and More Storms

They have a saying here in the hills,

“Thunder roars stay indoors”.

 

I find that thunder and lightning storms are a lot more frequent here than on Guam. Yes, on Guam we had our fair share of storms, typhoons, and tropical depressions; but lightning and thunder storms there seem to be a rare occurrence in comparison to here in West Virginia.

I remember as a kid they had all these rules for safety in case of a thunder and lightning storm. On Guam, I never really had to bother with the rules because I always seemed to be indoors during a storm. Here my chances of being caught outside are a lot greater. So, for the safety of everyone lets go over some the rules if you should ever get caught in a storm such as this:

The Rules

1. Never. I repeat never ever stand under a tree for shelter. It might be great for keeping you dry; but trees are fantastic lightning conductors and your chances of being struck by lightning are greatly increase.
2. Try to seek immediate shelter. Your vehicle with the windows rolled up is a great place to hide if you are miles away from any shelter. If your vehicle is nowhere near you try to seek a cavern or a ravine.
3. If you are found out in the open during a storm with no means of shelter you need to assume a “lightening ready position”. This means you need to get down in a crouched position with both feet touching the ground and your hands over your ears.
4. I do realize I am not the first person to ever write on the topic; but I do hope you will find my entry helpful. Here are few websites that might help answer some of your storm questions. I have also included a C.P.R. website for emergency purposes. Please watch it; it could save a life one day.

http://www.fema.gov/kids/sabrina.htm  

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/how-to-survive-a-storm.htm

http://www.wxdude.com/page5.html

http://www.weather.gov/os/lightning/outdoors.htm

http://handsonlycpr.org/

Children and Storms

Last night during a lightning and thunderstorm my two year old was frightened. This was the first time she had ever shown fear because of a storm. As a mom I wanted to make her feel better and assure her that everything was fine; but the more assurance I gave her the louder she cried. I was at a loss of what to do for her; but as a mother I feel I need to have all the answers. So, I decided to do some research on how to better handle the situation for the next storm. In reality as a mother, we don’t have all the answers seek out sites such as “Moments of Motherhood” of “Circle of Moms”. These sites are created for moms to band together for the common good. Well, the things I have learned from these sites are:

Storm Days Fun Days

1.    Make a game of it! Come up with a silly reason as to all the commotion. Say something like, “What’s that? Oh, I think the giants are moving again. Oh dear, I believe the baby giant spilled their toys all over the floor”.  

2.     Put on your best face. Don’t show your child that you are concerned about the storm, even if you are. Your child is super smart and can sense when something is wrong. They can also tell when you are worried. Showing that you are worried will cause your child to worry as well.

3.    Make it a family time. Grab the flashlights, dim the lights and have a shadow puppet show. Read a storybook to your child. Do some arts and crafts. Show your child that storm days can be fun days too!

You never know, you and your child may end up having so much fun that you might forget that there is even a storm outside!

From Pictures to Reality

Whenever I am outside I feel like a kid in a candy store! There are so many things to see and touch. I find myself in my own personal outdoor classroom. You see I grew up on an island, thus everything I see now is stuff I have learned about through pictures, books, magazines, and even television. I have never seen an apple grow from blossom to fully matured apple.  I have only ever seen apples in the grocery store; but this year I will be able to pick my own apples. I can just imagine what that will be like, picking my first apples. They would still be warm from the noon day sun, crunchy, juicy, and sweet. The best part is I know that there will not be any funky pesticides used on my apples. They will be completely all natural just the way God intended them to be.

My New Home

May 15th, 2011 marked my 2 month anniversary since I moved to French Creek, West Virginia. In November of 2009 we came to French Creek for a visit. My parents had bought a piece of property and wanted my husband and I to come and check it out. So, we got on an airplane and traveled the distance from Barrigada, Guam to French Creek, West Virginia. The travel alone takes a full 24 hours. We along with our infant daughter were very exhausted travelers when we finally reached our destination. Little did I know that I was about to embark on the greatest adventure of my life. The moment I stepped out onto the property I knew I was home, that was when I fell in love with West Virginia.