Green Lacewing: Chysoperla rufilabris

Lately I've seen a lot of these insects around. These are a type of Green Lacewing. Their adult form here eats nectar, pollen and aphid honeydew, but in this genus their larvae prey on other small insects. 

photo taken August 2014

Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth

We had tons of tent caterpillars on the poplar tree in our backyard this summer. My 2 year old and I had lots of fun collecting them. I should have taken some pictures because it was amazing that there were so many. (Apparently they can be quite the pests.) Just before a rain they'd all gather in the elbows of the tree branches.

photo taken August 2014

I'd been watching for them to turn to chrysalises, but instead all these silky cocoons showed up. I hadn't realized they would turn into moths.

photo taken August 2014

All these moths showed up in our front porch and it was quite a while before I connected the dots and realized that these were the Forest Tent Caterpillar Moths. My children were again very excited to discover them all over our front wall outside our house.

Parchment Paper Road

My 2 year old loves to play with his cars and spends a lot of time at the couch driving them around. We've thought about getting him a carpet road, but my husband came up with this idea and I thought it was so neat. 

Bean Bags

I made a set of bean bags with a matching appliquéd bag for a birthday party. It was such a big hit that one of the mom's asked me to make a set for her too. 

Four-Spotted Ghost Moth

This moth showed up on the poplar tree in our backyard one evening. I thought it was actually really pretty for a moth. After doing some research I found out it is a Four-spotted Ghost Moth. They can come in two colour forms: yellow-brown (shown here) and purple-grey. 

photo taken August 2014

3 Under 3

There have been a lot of changes in our family lately. One being the birth of our third child, another boy. I guess with so many changes I should have known I'd go overdue. I was 5 or 10 days late depending on which due date you're going by (the ultrasound or my cycle). But baby came in his own timing and we are so thankful for another boy!