I have been discovering or I should say rediscovering my love of crafting. It has been fun to diving back in and the best part is Glitter Bug has been finding out she loves to craft as well. We recently made Christmas fabric covered canvas. This DIY Christmas Fabric Canvas is such a simple craft and doesn’t take forever.
Oh my stars. The amazing grace of autumn is truly astounding. Here we are ankle deep in autumn, and I can’t get over the trees. I’m a new mother showing off pictures of her baby. I’m me showing off pictures of Lucy and Annabelle. Nothing whatsoever wrong with either scenario. Just a disclosure of what’s to come.
Pictures of trees.
And so here I go with a few of the pictures I took yesterday.
Filtered only by the grace of God.
Amazing grace for sure.
by Brenda Embry, Miss November 2017
Gardening, for me, is a state of mind. To connect with nature, to create beauty, and to provide food for birds, bees and butterflies, gives me great satisfaction. Pollinators, in particular, have a rough time when their habitat is limited. Restoring the landscape with native perennials or nectar-rich annuals can hopefully bring a balance to their uncertain future.
What are you thankful for this Thursday? Stop by the Spotted Cow Review to learn what Susan is thankful and to find out more about the life as a dairy farmer. READ MORE…
I’ve really enjoyed my time as Miss May 2017. Thank you again to Arkansas Women Bloggers for giving me this wonderful opportunity and I’m honored to be in the company of so many fantastic bloggers. It means the world to me. I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite Arkansas State Parks blogs, will subscribe, and share our blogs that connect with you.
What’s it Like to be Scarlett?
This blog was so much fun to put together. As with most of our blogs, this was created out of collaboration. I had the idea to have a “dress off” with my colleague and see who could get all those layers required in 19th-century fashion on first. So, we shot a video of this difficult challenge. I was surprised how hard it was! I edited it in black and white and sped it up with some fun Benny Hill-like music.
Billy Nations, the supervisor of interpretation at Historic Washington State Park, did one of the things he does best: interpret history in a way that connects with the audience. People often glamorize 19th-century dress and he breaks down what it would really be like to be Scarlett O’Hara. This blog is loaded with facts and history about the 19th century, but Billy makes it relevant to today.
Vlog: Chalk Up Buttercup, We’re Climbing at Mount Magazine
Armed with a GoPro and determination, I set out to shoot my first video blog for Arkansas State Parks. There are a few things I would do differently and it’s way too long, even with some fast-forward action, but it’s still one of my favorites. People want an authentic experience. They crave an opportunity to explore and go on an adventure. If you fast forward, make sure you check out me reaching the top, exhausted and a little frightened!
This vlog still gets a great response and I’m excited to share my Mount Magazine State Park rock climbing adventure with you.
We have an amazing team of park interpreters. We know your free time is valuable, and we want to help you make the most of your schedule, so we offer a diversity of interpretive programs and events to help you make memories of a lifetime. Park interpreters help you connect in a meaningful way. Kelly Farrell, our chief of interpretation, takes a look at the role of a park interpreter in this blog.
Vlog: Unexpected Challenge at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park
Meg Matthews takes a look at how an interesting problem at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park that turned into a family affair.
When I found out this “A Day in the Life” post was a part of my reign as Miss May 2017, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do since my average day isn’t full of thrills and chills. While it’s interesting and fun for me, I’m not sure how interesting it is for everyone else! So, I put together this little video to give a little glimpse into one of my typical days.
If you take a look at the Arkansas State Parks social media and our newsletters, you can see my work and the types of media I use to help tell our story. I hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions about my go to programs I use daily or such, I will happily answer those. Just leave me a note in the comments.
Our Foodie Friday post this week is brought to you by none other than Busvlogger (aka James Moore).
I developed this simple version of Ramen Salad for busy families with picky kids. If someone you’re serving can’t even, with the green onions, leave them out and reserve them as a garnish. I also give you a few pointers for add-ins that make this salad a lot of fun.
Ingredients
Instructions
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The impact music has on memory is huge. It’s something I’ve experienced for myself while at the same time witnessing from my parents–my father often drove my sisters and me to school, and he alternatively lectured us on some subject or “cultured” us by playing music from earlier decades. Sometimes the songs led into a history lecture as many lyrics refer to a concept of the period, like 99 Luftballoons or Spirit in the Sky, or we were treated to biographies of Elvis, the Beatles and Johnny Cash. When my father played a song, he told us its date and what was going on in his life at the moment, and how he first heard the song or what he did to buy a record. Life is wrapped up in the music, as if it has its own playlist.
I love being a kid of the 90s. The pop culture I grew up in remains vivid, looming inseparably over the scene of my childhood and simultaneously valuable for its own sake and valuable for how it appears in hindsight. I heard my father when he mocked *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, and I’m aware that not everyone will genuinely appreciate those musicians (“Call that music?” my father would complain) as well as other aspects of the decade’s culture, but I loved it then and I still love it now.
Like my father, I have my own memories that play to a record–or, to be accurate, they play to a cassette disk and then a few years later to CDs and finally an iPod. *NSYNC’s hit “Bye Bye Bye” was released when I was ten and enjoyed playing Four Square at recess. Unfortunately, the older girls dominated the scene, playing rough and keeping the rules flexible to suit themselves. For a few weeks when someone got out, the older girls jeered “bye bye bye,” complete with hand motions. One memorable day, however, my friends and I succeeded in beating out the older girls, and we did not neglect to crow “bye bye bye.”
That year, a bad snow storm kept schools closed for a week. During this time, my younger sister Delaney and I spent our time exclusively in the basement putting puzzles together (including a 200 piece Little Mermaid pizza party puzzle and a 1000 piece Beauty & the Beast puzzle) while listening to our *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys CDs. It sounds simple, maybe even dull to some people, but to me it has the strongest sense of nostalgia, sweet and insistent. I could live an eternity in moments like those that reign larger than life.
Adria English is a professional writer and a casual artist with a penchant for doodling. She currently resides in Mountain Home, Arkansas with her husband, Garrett, their daughter, Nenive, and two black cats. Adria blogs about young family life, culture and home projects at www.whitewallsblackcats.com.
