Wordy Wednesday {Tuckered}

My Sentiments Precisely

{Gracie carefully got on top of the folded up boxes and laid down to sleep. I actually needed a box from this pile and she put a temporary halt to the madness. Yes, she is spoiled.}

Remembering

Source: cagle.com via Lee Ann on Pinterest

Macro Monday {Latrodectus}

{Participating in Macro Monday, I heart Macro, and Your Sunday Best.}

Western Black Widow {Latrodectus hesperus}

{To see a slightly larger version of the picture, go here.}
Note: Latrodectus = widow spiders. I tricked you all into looking at this blog post, am I correct? Ha!

When we parked in the detached garage at our new house, I spied a spider on the wall near the bottom, pointed to it and exclaimed "Black Widow!" Dan took a closer look and then shook his head "no". He said it had red stripes on its back. So, I grabbed my camera thinking I was safe even though it looked all the world like a widow spider to me. I took my time and tried to get some excellent pictures.

Imagine my surprise when I did some research to discover it is a widow spider! Good Lord! The goosebumps just popped up all over my body. Even though I was about one to two feet away from the spider, it was scary knowing that I was shooting that close to the critter. I was speechless. I think Dan was too.

This goes to show you that not all black widows have a solid black upper abdomen. In other words, they can have a variety of patterns and colors too.

Due to lack of pictures on the WWW for this particular spider, I asked Texas Parks and Wildlife on facebook for help in identifying this particular species. I knew it was a widow spider (genus name: Latrodectus). But, I wanted to know the species also. They came back and said it was a Western Black Widow {Latrodectus hesperus}. So, there we go!

This is the last of the spider pictures for awhile. I am not promising that it is the last spider pictures I will post on this blog because I am a lover of critters and always wanting to know what is what to make sure it is safe to be around our house. (If the critter is inside the house, that is a different story – either it gets killed or it is transported to the great outdoors far from our house as they do NOT belong in the house.) By the way, this spider is no longer alive.

Note: This was shot on the same weekend I shot the other widow spiders.

• Macro Monday {another Spider}
• Once Upon a Time... {Long Pictorial Story}

PS Should I trust Dan about spiders in the future? I think not! Ha!

Link Roundup

Source: tumblr.com via Lee Ann on Pinterest

It has been a long time since I have managed to do a Link Roundup. I thought I better do this one before the links get overwhelming. Enjoy!

• I won a bundle of lovely fabrics from a Henry Glass Fabrics blog hop

• Great Granny Pincushion Tutorial Sewing


• Candy Roll Pincushion tutorial Sewing


• Sewing Machine Pincushion Tutorial; Removable


• Scrumptious Cupcake Pincushion Tutorial


• Purse Camera Bag Tutorial Sewing
  This is cute! Not sure if I make one (due to zipper).


• Cloth Napkins Tutorial; Sewing; Cute!
  Tip I’ve heard: Don’t use dryer sheets as they will cause some water/liquid resistance.


• An Upcycling Project for Denim Pockets Sewing; Patched Pocket Panels


• Watercolor Art Tutorial
  This is easy! And, cute! Even kids can do this! I’m going to give it a try someday soon and pretend I’m an artist!


• Glue Stick Crayons Repurposing; Reusing


• Mason Jar Solar Lights DIY


• Free Printable Christian; Inspirational


• Why you can’t “get over it” right away Christian; Inspirational
  

  It’s not about getting over it…it’s about getting through it.



• When You Want to Run Christian; Inspirational
  

  Be still
  B ehold the beauty of where you are right now
  E xpect change ~ when it’s His timing
  
  S upport your husband, children, family, friends ~ it will take your mind off yourself
  T ake time to enjoy now ~ it will be gone too soon
  I magine what good you can do ~ today
  L ove God ~ know that He’s got your back
  L ive and laugh and love ~ the glass is full



• Why People Think Christians are Fake Christian; Inspirational
  A very good read that is often all too true
  

  For years, I listened to the version Jadon Lavik did. My favorite verse, the one I found most encouraging, when things felt the darkest in my spiritual walk, was this one:
  Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
  prone to leave the God I love;
  here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
  seal it for thy courts above.

  So what verse was the worship leader changing?
  That one.
  His argument? He wasn’t “prone to wander or prone to leave.”
  At this point in the conversation, I realized he was not like me.
  Or Peter.
  Or David.
  Or “That’s not my wife, that’s my sister!” Abraham.
  He was changing the lyrics to something like, “Prone to worship, prone to praise.

Piece,

Build a Bundle(#4); Fat Quarter Shop

The last week's winning bundle. It's tough! I don't know how they can choose because many of the entries are mighty close.

Below is my entry. I threw this together again as I'm mighty busy.

1. TwoByTwo-7739-77-450, 2. HyperrealGarden-HG-7409-450, 3. Hearstrings-22284-DKBRO1-450
The "pink" goes with the flamingos in the main fabric. I thought it was interesting.