Having fun in the Sand

Our town hosts an annual Sandcastle competition. Two years ago, I won second place in the adult division, so this year we entered as a family.

This is the mermaid that I made.

Isn't she gorgeous?

The tail underwent a few changes, especially after being stepped on by my 7 year old.

Notice the detail underneath the tail, yes it's carved out underneath.

This was the kids' masterpiece. A big hole with a snake thing that they sculpted. They called it 'Mulgrath' - It's from some game or show I think... Chaotic maybe? Anyways, it kept them busy and they had a lot of fun making it.

Would you believe that we didn't even place in the competition???

For more beautiful mermaids, check out Nightshore... he's amazing!!

C'mon - THAT'S funny!

Fussypants has a running contest on Mondays - Name that Inappropriate Photo. Go check it out, and don't forget to vote for the *ahem* funniest comment.

An Inquiline!

I had to share this amazing picture, taken in the front yard of my parents' house. I find it amazing that this flower is growing upwards of 10 feet in the air, in a tree.

Of course I had to google the definition, and came up with this:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In zoology, an inquiline (from Latin inquilinus, "lodger" or "tenant") is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms such as insects may live in the homes of gophers and feed on debris, fungi, roots, etc. The most widely distributed types of inquiline are those found in association with the nests of social insects, especially ants and termites — a single colony may support dozens of different inquiline species. The distinctions between parasites, social parasites, and inquilines are subtle, and many species may fulfill the criteria for more than one of these, as inquilines do exhibit many of the same characteristics of parasites. However, parasites are specifically not inquilines, because by definition they have a deleterious effect on the host species, while inquilines do not.

It's party time!

One of my favourite bloggers, The Nester, is hosting a mistreatment party!


Head over to her site to see what the abuse is all about - you'll be glad you did!!


Also, Head over to Sycamore Stirrings and check out the muffin tin idea!! I hope to get in on this soon!

So, are we having fun yet?

Let me introduce myself. I am the Hautemama. I find that name very comforting - I'm not just any old sloppy-dressed housewife with whiny kids, I can be more... I AM more.

Although I've managed to avoid writing my own blog, blog reading has entertained me with countless hours of:

• Escape
• Inspiration
• Humour
• Knowledge
• Organization skills
• Decorating ideas
• Comradeship

I hope that I can provide at least some of these things in return.

I don't know much about blogging, but I figured it was time to jump in. Wish me luck!