I think kids work hard all week. A little down time is a necessity on a Friday evening. My youngest and I took a short walk into the nature preserve on this perfect fall afternoon. Along the way she found the perfect rock for her teacher. I understand that the teacher has quite a collection of stones with writings on them and this one, after cleaning and inscribing, will make the perfect addition. We're so lucky to have so many trails, like the Stevia Ray Vaughan Trail, so close to our home. Try taking your child into the woods.

Saturday morning on February 6, I could think of 1 million things I could do besides going to Home Depot. However, I went anyway with my youngest daughter to do the craft that they offer every first Saturday of the month. We had a great time. We saw some families that we knew and visited with them for a while. The craft was a Valentines mailbox for the children to put their Valentines.

Every year my and husband and daughters attend a church program around Valentine's Day called Daddy and Daughters Dessert. There is a talent part. One year my youngest daughter sang a song with the accompaniment of father on guitar. This year, they played a song they had written with my daughter playing violin.

I so passionately love fall and evidence of its presence is here.  These are some 
shots of an October moon I took a few nights ago after a hike at Dogwood Canyon.

On Saturday, October 19th, we all went to the Audobon for our first night time hike (with about one hundred or so of our friends).  We went to listen for owls.   There were crafts  and activities like digging through owl waste (Keren refused to have any parts of that) for clues of what they had eaten. 

In August, my two girls had the awesome experience of meeting Miss Texas,
Ivana Hall.  Miss Texas was the special guest at the end of summer celebration
for the reading program at the Cedar Hill Library in Cedar Hill, Texas.  What do
I think of Miss Texas?   She is as gracious as she is beautiful.  Miss Hall
signed photos, posed for pictures and chatted with everyone who wanted to talk to  with her and gave each person her undivided attention.  I was extremely pleased that my two girls (the two for which this blog is named) had the good fortune of meeting and listening to her.  She is a great role model for young girls and women.

A PERFECT DAY.  As a stay-at-home mom, one would think that you would have a good deal of one on one time with your child.  Yes, I’m with my child every day, but am I with my child.  To be honest, the answer is no.  I am like many people
preoccupied the other things like the care my daughter, household tasks, and
next ever important thing that has to be done.  But I have found that it is good
to just go somewhere alone with my daughter, just the two of us.  A place where my attention is completely on her concerns without interruptions.  The best place I have found is Dogwood Canyon.  It is named Dogwood Canyon  because it is the only place in this surrounding area that the dogwood trees grow. In addition, they grow to
some heights that are not natural to this area. We go for a hike that is roughly
two miles long round trip.  It has some steep climbs but they are doable.

    One day a month it is free of charge and a craft is included.  My daughter
also receives some good science lessons from the workers and volunteers.  There
is an area for bird watching and reading to your child with books supplied by
Dogwood Canyon.  On one visit, she even was able to dress up in costumes. 

  On this day the trail is busy with homeschoolers, so I never feel scared on the trail or of the people because they are mostly women and children.  There are benches along the trail for resting.  First, we meet a mother with two kids, aged about seven to ten years old and a precious chubby, most contented baby,  who couldn’t be more than two months old, in a carrying pouch.   The mother said she was turning back. 
She said the baby in the pouch was getting heavy and hurting her back. Later we
stop and chat with a family of eight having a picnic on a blanket in the woods.  
  

Bird Feeder at Dogwood Canyon.

Entrance at Dogwood Canyon.

Making recycled binoculars.

Keren takes in a view from one of the elevations.

At the highest elevation, we were about 10 to 15 miles from the Dallas Cowboys Statium, in Arlington, TX. 

Using the zoom lens to get a closer view of the stadium.

    October is Safety Awareness Month.  We went to Home Depot the first Saturday to learn about safety.  There was a fire truck and ambulance there, but unfortunately there was an emergency and they had to be called away. 

    I really appreciate the quality of the crafts that Home Depot offers.  My youngest daughter got a chance to use a hammer on a wooden firetruck she made with the help of her Dad.

Preparing to use hammer to make her firetruck.

Concentrate on the nails.

Home Depot made pumpkins filled with pansies for each child.

     My youngest daughter is a hands on type child. She loves her father's tools.  However, it makes us nervous to see her with the screwdrivers, hammers, nails, etc. that she takes from his toolbox.  So for Christmas we got her a child's wood making kit.  We thought it was a good idea for her to make projects designed for kids.  The kit was for two boats, but to our dismay, they were not made of real wood and the screws were made of plastic. This was completed within two hours and it just did not challenge her.
    I learned from another parent that Home Depot offers good crafts the first Saturday of each month.  I started taking her there and I am very pleased with what they offer. The store has high quality crafts made of solid wood. Best of all, it give her a chance to work with her beloved tools.  An added benefit is that my oldest daughter, to my surprise likes it too.