Wordless Wednesday Lower Columbia Estuary Canoe Field Trip and Hike

Teela & I went on a Canoe Trip and hiking with a group at the Lower Columbia Estuary Scappoose Bay Marina (4/6/2018).

Guided Hike: Saw Oak Galls, Gall Wasp larvae, lichen, & mushrooms while doing a scavenger hunt & bird-watching.

Wordless Wednesday Robin's Nest and Baby Birds in the Double Petaled Mock Orange Tree

This is my Double Petaled Mock Orange tree. It is so fragrant and pretty in the springtime.

Baby Robins in a nest in my Mock Orange tree.

Baby Robins opening wide for what Mama brings.

Mama Robin feeding her babies.

Wordless Wednesday My New Bird Feeder and An Unwanted Guest

My new bird feeder is a hit with the birds. They love the compartments I fill with different bird seed.

Haha! This little guy is trying to get in on the food. I guess I underestimated my garden pole.

Thankfully this bird feeder shuts when a squirrel gets on it. The bird even dive bombed him telling him to get down.

Novica $40 Gift Certificate Giveaway and New Premium Gift Wrap Review

Novica's Premium Gift Wrap

We received product free from Novica to facilitate this review and the opportunity below to giveaway a $40 Gift Certificate. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

NOVICA helps change the lives of artisans in developing nations, while offering us extraordinary handmade gifts, jewelry, apparel, and home decor. There are so many talented artists and artisans around the world. NOVICA provides these unique, hard-to-find items on their internet website at great prices. These services are all fair trade, meaning that they don't charge the artists and artisans any listing fees and the artists and artisans remain fully independent. They are free to raise their prices, lower their prices, or remove their items from their website whenever they please. This website is great to buy something from for your special somebody for the holidays, just remember since these items are coming all the way from the country they are made in, the shipping might take longer than expected.

NOVICA now has new premium gift wrap in 3 of their regions: Bali, Thailand and India; and they will be offering it to all of their locations soon. I was asked to get something from one of these regions with a $40 gift code that they gave me and also try out their new premium gift wrap. Most premium gift wrap is only $3.95-$5.95 per item. It is as unique as the gift you choose to have wrapped. The premium wrap has handmade elements, carefully crafted ribbons and beautiful brass plates.

Songbird Haven Rosewood tea light holder made by Reshma Anand in India

I chose the Songbird Haven Rosewood tea light holder made by Reshma Anand in India. It came wrapped in the premium gift wrap which is basically brown (or white) paper, pretty fabric, ribbon, and a brass plate that says NOVICA on it. Inside the wrapped box is another box that is blue with a lid and stamped with what looks like a partridge in a pair tree. The tea light was wrapped in white tissue paper to protect it while traveling. The Songbird Haven Rosewood tea light holder was just what I thought it would be. I love the birds nestled in the leafy branches of the shady tree that is carved in low relief and hand painted. I love the rosewood this is made out of. The wood has such gorgeous figure in it. This candle holder can be placed on a surface, like a table or shelf or hung on the wall like a sconce. It comes with a tea light that has an aluminum casing for safety.

The Songbird Haven Rosewood tea light holder can be hung on the wall.

WIN IT
Prize: Win a $40 Gift Certificate from Novica (Expires 2/20/14).

I am trying out Rafflecopter on my blog. Please click on this post link if you do not see the script for it below. Also, if there is anything that is wrong with it let me know by emailing me: finamoon AT gmail DOT com I will try my best at fixing it. Thanks for being awesome readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to NOVICA for sending me a $40 gift certificate for free to review an item off their website and one to give away for free. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review of their website. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Listen to the Birds An Introduction to Classical Music Storybook & CD Review

We received products free from The Secret Mountain to facilitate this review.

I love to sit and listen to the songs of birds. They always cheer me up with their lovely tweets and twitters. A lot of classical music artists have been inspired by the birds and their creativity has been forever immortalized in this music. There is a tremendous similarity between notes of instruments and the birds' songs.

Listen to the Birds An Introduction to Classical Music hardcover Storybook captures the essence of these birds in gorgeous illustrations by Cecilia Varela. This book has wonderful explanatory notes and descriptions of the birds in detail. It also has a listening guide that has notes on the music, the composers, a gloassary of musical terms, and a timeline of composers and periods. It has 64, 8"x8 pages.

Listen to the Birds An Introduction to Classical Music CD is a wonderful compilation chosen by Ana Gerhard of beautiful classical music by notable works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, and others. It offers 20 excerpts (26 minutes) ranging from The Goldfinch, Hens and Roosters, and The Dance of the Swans to The Cuckoo and the Nightingale, Piano Concerto N, and Dance of the Firebird. These are performed by great luminaries including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Toronto Chamber Orchestra.

This book and CD is fabulous for homeschool and the introduction of classical music to little ones. Great for ages 7-9. Originally this was published in Mexico and now the English version is available in North America for the first time.

Tracklist

1. The Goldfinch, Vivaldi 1:05
2. La Primavera, Vivaldi 1:07
3. The Song of the Birds, Janequin 1:35
4. Melancholy, Rautavaara 1:24
5. The Bird (Peter and the Wolf), Prokofiev 0:28
6. Hens and Roosters (The Carnival of Animals), Saint-Saëns 1:07
7. Aviary (The Carnival of Animals), Saint-Saëns 1:23
8. The Swan (The Carnival of Animals), Saint-Saëns 1:15
9. Dance of the Swans (Swan Lake), Tchaikovsky. 1:29
10. Song for the Lark (The Seasons - Album for Children), Tchaikovsky 1:02
11. The Lark Ascending, Vaughan Williams 1:32
12. Ballet Of The Unhatched Chicks, Mussorgsky 1:10
13. Toccata Con Lo Scherzo Del Cucco, Pasquini 1:28
14. The Cuckoo and the Nightingale, Handel 1:12
15. The Robin, Messiaen 1:02
16. Papageno and Papagena (The Magic Flute), W.A. Mozart 2.33
17. Piano Concerto N° 17, W.A. Mozart 1:35
18. The Raven, Schubert 0:48
19. Dance of the Firebird, Stravinsky 1:14
20. Toy Symphony, L. Mozart 2:08

 You can purchase this book and CD at Amazon.com.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be present in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog.