Spring really is about all the little things….things which bring me so much pleasure! The most colorful of the song birds have returned and we have been enjoying them for weeks. We have several orioles flaunting their bright orange clothing in order to attract a female that is also stunning in her more subdued, yet definite orange coloration. I have always thought we must have the best looking pair of orioles nesting on our property – for surely the female is as bright as they come! I have seen others…and they don’t hold a candle to her beauty. However, it is not to say she doesn’t have a line up of males hoping to catch her eye. In the past several days the males have gone from chasing each other in flight around our yard to outright aerial battles. I was witness to one not 12 feet from me yesterday as I was outside watering plants, and I was surprised to see such aggressive behavior from a pair of male orioles. As they almost locked “talons” the two were falling to the ground with the more dull-colored male on “the bottom” with his back to the ground. Just before hitting the ground he managed to get free and flew off. This round definitely went to our brilliantly colored male, and if history repeats itself, this male will be the beau for the beautiful lady. (If only I had had my camera, with video capabilities, to capture the action…time to wear my camera around my neck at all times when I step outside.)
In addition to the rose-breasted grosbeaks (our daughter’s favorite) and Rubies, the Indigo Buntings (shown above) returned last week. The past couple of days we have actually seen them eating on the ground under the black oil sunflower feeders. This is the first time I have witnessed this, as primarily they are attracted to our bird baths only. We also have been putting grape jelly out, and in addition to the orioles the bluebirds have been hanging out on top of the house antenna singing their beautiful song. Last night I caught a glimpse of a blue warbler splashing in our bathing rock – I love it when the warblers visit us in spring! Cardinals are also nesting outside our daughter’s bedroom window, and my prayer is that God protects them from the neighbor’s cat that I saw prowling our backyard the other night. I have not seen a cat on our property in quite a while, so I was hoping the birds would be safe, but the animals that prey seem to know when and where to find easy meals. This never makes us happy, and I wish all who let cats roam outdoors would at minimum put collars with bells on their felines.
I have wanted to share about the songbirds that brighten my life in spring, but also a layout about one of my favorite times of day – bedtime for our daughter. She and I have such fun at bedtime – we read, usually sing a song or two, act silly and laugh a lot. I know I am not exactly settling her down for sleep, but it is just too much fun to be serious about going to bed. (LOL) Dahlia from FaithSisters.com challenged us to create a layout about the little things that do matter. We pray to God for so many “big things”, but consider the little things – He hears all our prayers. I hope that the Lord will grant my prayer request and keep the cardinal, nest safe this year. We prayed that God would bring fast healing to the sore inside Abby’s mouth, self-inflicted after chewing her gums when numb from a dental appointment. She is now healed, praise God! We pray for her scrapes and bruises and many little things that are big to her. And we pray for the big things as well. What is important is that we pray with our children and let them know that God wants to hear from them on their own time as well. For Dahlia’s “Little Things Do Matter” faith discovery challenge I created this layout:
All elements are by Izzy’s Crisdam Designs, Sabry Card and Nikki Painter, all of FaithSisters.
To see other layouts created for this challenge visit the Faith Discovery Gallery.
Also, Kjoi Studios introduced a new designer today – Inspired by Dominic, and she is offering a freebie called “Dandelion Dreams”. I snatched it right away – as just yesterday Abby and I were walking a nature trail and she was enjoying all the white, fluffy dandelion heads and blowing them to watch the seeds float in the breeze.
I look forward to showing you my completed layout with this kit. Enjoy your journey and enjoy the little things in your life. God put them there for you.
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