Laser Cutter Contest

As most of you know, I LOVE papercutting and have had thoughts of someday turning my focus more towards it. Well, another dream I have also had is to own a laser cutter to help me with this goal. Owning a laser cutter would enable me to make mass cuttings and sell them at cheaper prices, that way I could have the originals, but also sell duplicates more economically. Problem is that laser cutters are extremely expensive and we just don't have the funds to make that happen right now. BUT, I recently came across a contest to win a laser cutter and decided to enter. It is through this awesome website called Instructables. It basically is a website dedicated to projects. People post instructions on how to do something/anything. It's really a neat website because it has everything from crafts to electronics, to cooking and finding 4leaf clovers. So I highly recommend checking the site out, just for the sake of it. BUT, while you are there, you can also check out the two instructables that I created for the contest. My first attempt was how to make my flower pens. So the secret is out - you can all now know how they are done and mass produce. But I also just did one yesterday on papercut ornaments. I was pretty happy with how they came out.
So, I just wanted to share them with you all, and if you felt like checking them out, I think it looks good to have comments and ratings, so please feel free to leave some comments and check the rating boxes. I would be so appreciative! I know that there are a lot of entries, but I just felt that I had to at least give it a try, how often do you see a contest for a laser cutter - I felt inspired!
Here are the links: Flower Power & Nature Spinners
I also have them on the sidebar of this blog.
Thank you to everyone who writes a comment!!! (Unfortunately you do need to create an account to leave a comment, but they are very good about not sending you spam, and you can always unsubscribe right away. But I'll understand if you don't want to sign-up)

Birthday Weekend

This past weekend was filled with birthdays. My friend Joy's daughter Layla turned 3 on Saturday, our nephew Evan turned 4 on Sunday, and Mike's grandma's birthday was yesterday. Unfortunately we were only able to see Grandma though because Layla is in FL & Evan is in VA. But we hope that they all had great days!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

We actually went to Keuka for a day celebration. It was Sarah & Spikes first time to the lake. They both seemed to enjoy it a lot, especially Spikes. I think she's turning into a country pup!

Changing Positions Again!

Things have been feeling pretty crazy lately, of course that seems to be the norm these past few years. I think that having our internet out really threw me off a bit, but I think I'm recovering now. But the big news at the moment is that I have switched positions with the NYS parks and am now a naturalist with the interpretive department. My first day was last Thursday and so far it is a great position! Right now I'm training, which basically means that I get to go to other people's programs and observe what's done. And I love it!! I've gotten to go on 3 gorge hikes that I have never seen and also go to a stream study and a frog program. Good Times!!! I'll keep training the rest of this week and then by Saturday I will start leading my own programs. I'm going to be working Tues-Sat & Wed & Fri nights. So that's pretty good. Mike still gets his weekends off, so we at least will always have Sundays off together. But it's a nice change - I get to be outdoors and I get to do fun things, so I for sure cannot complain. Here are just a couple of pictures from the hikes I've gotten to go on. I will actually be at Buttermilk Falls most of the time (which I didn't get any pictures of) but I will very soon. These parks are so amazing. And right when I think I've seen most of the beauty of the area, I discover something new which is completely awesome!

Watkins Glen State Park (above)

And the rest of the pictures are from Robert H. Treman State Park - this place just blew me away!!!

It's A Family Affair

Happy Father's Day!
We started our Father's Day off at Ryan & Sarah's place where they cooked a delicious breakfast for us all. We then traveled to a local winery (in case you didn't know - the finger lakes are famous for their wineries which pretty much line all of the different lakes.)
We visited Americana Winery and Bellwether Hard Cidery.

And finished the day off at the Cayuga Lake Creamery.
Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there!

Cornell Plantations

This past weekend, both Mike and my parents came to Ithaca for a visit and to spend Father's Day together. On Saturday, the six of us visited the Cornell Plantations. It's a 150 acre arboretum with tons of themed gardens and natural areas. It was really beautiful and had lots of great places to just sit and relax.

Welcome Ryan & Sarah!

Two weeks ago, Mike's brother and his finance moved from Atlanta, GA to Ithaca. It was quite a move for them, but Mike and I are really excited to have them so close. We've been having lots of fun together. Last weekend we went on a hike at Taughannock Falls. It was such a beautiful day - here are some of the sites.

Sarah, Ryan & baby Spikes




The falls are so much drier now. We haven't had much rain this summer, hopefully we'll get some soon. Although I guess it is common for most of the falls in the area to get pretty dry throughout the summer.

We're Back!

We finally have internet at home again, so we should be back with it shortly. Both of our parents are visiting this weekend so it will be pretty busy - but next week - it shall all be good!

Ithaca Festival

We recently learned of The Ithaca Festival, which is happening this weekend. It started Thursday evening with a parade and then goes Fri & Sat downtown Ithaca and then Sunday at a local park. So far I've been really pleased and impressed. It took a while to figure out the main attractions, but it's basically a VERY small Arts Festival (State College version). Lots of performances, food and craft tents. My kind of fun. Although I'm feeling sad because I really need to be working on my Peninsula nature signs, so I'm sitting in the library downtown just dreaming about what's happening outside. I should probably just give up working, but I really need to get some hours in. So I'm writing in the blog as procrastination - ah, how typical!
Oh well, at least there is tomorrow, and we hear that it's actually a better time on Sunday in the park. So off to work - here are some pictures of the events so far.

The parade!
A big compost worm!

It was threatening thunderstorms the entire day, but we decided to brave it and still go to the parade. We actually saw most of it, but then the skies burst open and it was a torrential downpour! Quite a sight to see everyone make a dash for it - running, screaming and laughing - good times all around!


A view of the craft tents downtown.

Good-bye Friends

The last couple of days have brought sadness when I think about some wildlife that I've come to enjoy. Monday, as I drove home from work, I saw a Mallard duck that had been hit by a car laying in the middle of the road. As I kept driving, it just kept bothering me so I turned around and moved it off the road. It was right by my work and I just didn't want to see it every day get more and more smashed. So I moved it but as I started driving away, I notice a female Mallard looking around in the grass near by - my heart sank and I realized that this male that I had just moved was the partner to this female and the couple was one that I had been enjoying while at work. It was so sad, and even as I write this I can't help but cry. It makes me think of when my turtle (Gordon) died last year. It wasn't so much him dying (although that was dreadful) but it was seeing Gordon and Flash having their last moments together. They would put their front arms in front of their faces and touch claws. I don't know what it meant but I just knew that they enjoyed one another and had a bond, and once Gordon was gone, so was that connection. It's just so sad and I can't help but feel sadness for these animals that loose their companions. It's no different with people, although hopefully animals have a better time at it, I guess. But who knows. Some think I'm silly for getting so emotional over animals, but for some reason my heart can't seem to distinguish between an animal or a human. If I make a connection with anything - human or animal, it becomes a part of me forever. It's just a weird time I think. Then to add to the sadness, this cute little bird nest that I've been watching at work got destroyed. It was a nest in the grass and I had warned the mowers about it and we put a stick up to remind them, but someone didn't know about it and that was the end of the eggs. And then the baby foxes, I've heard that a few have been hit and that there is possibly that just one is left. AND to add to all that, I found out this morning that someone went over the gorge I work at last night and didn't make it.

Sometimes my heart just sinks, but it goes out to others and also helps me to be grateful for my own life and how precious this world really is. There is a circle of life and things happen - it's a fluid process and continues on and on. Remember to be thankful and to truly appreciate things in the present....

A Taste of Keuka

Over Memorial Day weekend, Mike and I headed to Keuka Lake to visit with both of our parents. I amazingly got the weekend off last minute, so it worked out really good. Both of our parents came up on Friday night and we all stayed at Mike's parent's cottage.
Here's a bunch of pictures as an overview of the weekend:

This is the Tree House (aka - Scott & Roxie's cottage).

Every year they have birds that build nests all along their porch roof. I think there were 8 altogether!

A cute little inch worm. I love these little guys. The gypsy moth caterpillars were really starting to come out too.

Mike and his dad relaxing on the dock. We all decided to go for a boat ride. It was actually really warm and we timed it perfectly to get back right before a storm came through.

My parents relaxing before the boat ride.

A hoy captain!

A cute little nest I found in their yard. It was hanging by a thread so I know it was abandoned.

Mike and his ma :)

Lately when we drive home from Keuka, we tend to travel right after it gets dark. This leads to a wide variety of wildlife that crosses our path. Two times ago it was like the "ride for your life" because we literally had around 20 deer run in front of us at different times. It was surreal - plus an opossum, cat, fox...and it seems like something else too. So for this last trip home we were on the alert but instead were greeted by 58 toads in the road (all spread out over several miles), a bat which came about 6 inches from our windshield, a cat and a rabbit! The toads were really out because it had just rained. It was pretty cool, and I think we managed to dodge them all. This one in particular was right in front of us and I decided to get a closer look. After I got my picture I picked it up and moved it off the road. But it didn't even move, I guess I blinded it with my flash, or else it was deep in thought. Kind of strange.