Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 93

Look Who Showed Up

Look who showed up! It seemed like only yesterday they were just an egg sack!Since I finished mowing faster than I had planned, I decided to raze down a patch of tall grass and weeds that the horses hadn't bothered eating (spoiled horses, I know). While cutting slowly into the swatch of vegetation, I noticed an odd looking twig frantically hopping from one stem to the next. Jumping from stem to stem. Gladly, he didn't get chopped up by the mower.Turns out we've had our first mantis sighti...

Innovation

Kate starting the trend waaaay back at Easter.With the gorgeous weather we've been having, we've been outside A LOT. The girls usually swim or draw extensive chalk masterpieces on the porch but when we're in the back, they run straight for the swings. "We're flying horses!" Ah, a child's imagination (I remember thinking the exact same thing when I swung on my belly).Though I will usually give them a push or two to get started, there inevitably comes a time when I leave to do some work while th...

Wild Asparagus

I didn't notice the asparagus growing until it was big and bushy, ready to drop its seeds.Raven and I don't vary much when we go running, partly because the roads are busy with early morning traffic (and there's no shoulders on the roads) and partly to avoid routes with dogs who like to nip at our heels (I really need to bring a riding crop or some doggie mace with us...).  So, more often than not we jog down a road that's quiet and boarders several abandoned properties that have seen be...

Entomology Fun

Claire's damsel fly buddy.It's a really good thing we like bugs, especially around here. If we didn't, we'd be in trouble. A newly hatched jumping spider brood I discovered while painting the house.At the tail end of college and for a few months until my full-time position started, I worked with all kinds of insects: aphids, stable flies, house flies, weevils, mosquitoes, worms, and the very, very worst, cockroaches.
A very feisty stick bug.Even though some species still give me the creeps...

Giveaway: Free Ebook Copy of Headed for the Win and $25 Amazon Gift Card!

With less than a week until my debut novel launches, I've decided to do a giveaway! You'll win a free ecopy of Headed for the Win (format of your choice) and a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Enter below and feel free to share with friends. :) Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Giveaway ends July 16 at 12:00am EST. Winner will be selected by Rafflecopter and will be notified. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Prize includes free ebook copy of Headed fo...

In the Treetop

Coming down from his hiding spot in the tree.  He was waaaaay in the treetop.And we thought Jack was hard to find last time...

Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun!One of the planned activities for our family reunion was a trip to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. I was probably as excited as the girls to go since it was their first time to a theme park and it was one of my favorite destinations as a teenager. Meeting Snoopy.The girls' cousin Kaylee even got to come with us which the girls thought was extra exciting. We wasted no time getting down there and as soon as the gates opened, we hoofed it to the kiddie rides.
Kaylee and Evie...

Independence Day 2014

Independence Day 2014 (as usual) was fantastic. We began a tradition of heading to my in-law's house for a potluck and fireworks show long before they were even my in-laws.
The traditional kid's parachute catch. All the cousins got more than enough!I think I appreciate going back for the fourth of July even more since we've moved away. There are always old friends to catch up with and though I'm sometimes not one for a lot of conversation, it's fun to watch everyone interact.
That's a big box o...

Engineer

Claire is definitely has an engineer brain.A few weeks ago, Claire asked if she could have the tape off the top of the fridge. I said yes but that she needed to wait for my help. Instead, she built her own little tower out of two teetering chairs.  Once I found her makeshift ladder and gave her a long, stern lecture about how unsafe and rickety her structure was, she meekly agreed not to get to the top of the fridge that way again. Shortly after the first incident, I found another structu...

Up Goes the Siding!

With the goal to get the house painted this summer coming along nicely, I decided to go ahead and get started siding the front. I bought a sheet of insulation, spent a gusty afternoon atop a ladder cutting and nailing it on and then got started with the fiber cement siding (which mercifully comes in the same width as the current wood siding, so it'll all match up).
Up goes the siding!