<-- That's my Mom!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mom!!
Wish we could be there to celebrate with you! Or better yet, wish you were here!
We'll have a nice celebration with you next month, when you and Dad visit the farm.
Happy Birthday, Mom!
Alan says, "Happy Birthday, Mrs Wight."
Love you!
I am so VERY excited! Today is the official release of TWO of my new unmounted sets from Whipper Snapper called Good Dog and Cat's Life.
I have been having loads of fun with these sets, but I really can't wait to see what the
Whipper Snapper Featured Designers have created! That's the best part
of any release for me!
All of the Whipper Snapper unmounted sets are made of
high quality red rubber with a soft, gray cling mount backing that
adheres wonderfully to acrylic 
blocks. The sets are packaged in quality
jewel cases for easy storage.
The images will be on a sheet of red rubber, packaged in a jewel case along with the image insert.
A good, sharp pair of scissors is all you'll need to carefully cut apart the images. I use non-stick serrated scissors by Tonic.
Once your images are cut
apart, you're ready to mount
them to an acrylic block and get stampin'!
In addition to the two new sets, I'm also SUPER excited to introduce you to five new Whipper Snapper Featured Designers for the months of May and June! Be sure to check out their galleries and blogs! I am so excited to be working with them!
Karrie Baker
Blog: http://www.stampgirl.typepad.com
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/karrie_baker
Kittie Caracciolo
Blog: http://kittiekraft.typepad.com
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/kittie747
Laurie Schmidlin
Blog: http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/lauraly
Michelle Wooderson
Blog: http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/michelle_wooderson
Vivian Peters
Blog: http://vivlyndesigns.typepad.com
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/vivlyn
You'll also find lots of samples using the set right here on my blog, too! How could I resist! Stay tuned - I have lots more to share!
Cleo is a sweet baby! Queenie allows Alan and I to touch Cleo, but watches us to make sure we don't do anything to harm her baby.
Today I was able to rub Cleo all over, including her cute little belly! So far, she's a LOT friendlier than Dixie Cup, which isn't hard to do since Cup is WILD and CRAZY. (Cup is 16 days old now, if you can believe it!)
Cleo spent most of today napping in the sunshine while Queenie snacked on grass and hay. It was pretty hot here (low 90s), so napping in the sunshine wasn't hard to do. I took these photos this evening as the setting sun's rays were starting to be filtered by the haze from the humidity.
Queenie stood nearby while I snapped the photos, and occasionally checked on Cleo (usually putting slobber on her head).
Queenie is proving to be a good mother. It's unfortunate she lost her calf last year and didn't have the opportunity to raise her first born. She's very attentive, and quietly moos at Cleo throughout the day. I think things are going just perfectly!
Here's are two photos I took yesterday evening, when Cleo was just a few hours old. She was still pretty wobbly on her feet, but I'm still amazed at how quickly she was up and at 'um!
I'm in a photography group and there are personal photo assignments that we're issued topics for. The last topic was Fine Art (remember my rooster photo?). The new topic is "Relationship". I think this will be a great topic for me, especially with all of the new babies on the farm!
I can't believe we have two MORE cows expecting as well! Princess is due next, followed by Pixie later on. It's so exciting!!
Princess delivered a bull calf last spring (named Ribeye). We're crossing our fingers and toes that she delivers a heifer this year.
Princess is a BEAUTIFUL cow, and we hope all of her babies are as pretty as she is.
This is the first time I've ever added a video file that I created to my blog... hope it works! Once the file downloads, it will play in your default video view program (such as Windows Media Player).
Slow Internet Connection Users: This file is about 3.5mb in size, so if you choose to view it, it's going to take a while to download.
Download QueenieWeb1001.avi
You'll be able to hear Alan talking, and roosters crowing in the distance if you listen carefully! *grin*
Oh, and PS: We've named her Cleo. She's so CUTE! Her registered name will be LF Queen Cleopatra (LF stands for Lauhoff Farms)
Amazing. Life on the farm today was nothing short of amazing.
2:15pm
Alan and I went out to the barn to check on the baby Turken chicks we moved down there earlier this morning. When we entered the barnyard, we both noticed that Queenie was acting a little "odd" - not her usual self. We quickly realized she was in labor. Serious labor. She was standing and doing some pretty good pushing and heavy breathing. Delivery would be soon.
Very soon!
It wasn't long after when little white hooves started to emerge. Queenie was trying to find a comfortable place to be, whether standing or laying, laying or standing. Finally, she found a perfect spot to lay down.
2:50pm
After what seemed like forever to us (imagine how she felt!), out slid her baby!
We couldn't believe our timing! We could have EASILY missed the entire scene! But we didn't, and it was a beautiful thing! She had her baby in the middle of the day, in the middle of the barnyard. We watched the entire delivery, and we even captured some little video clips I'll share later.
The baby was trying out its legs within 15-20 minutes, and was firmly latched onto "lunch" in less than 30 minutes.
Amazing.
And even better, it's a little heifer! She'll grow up here on the farm, eventually to have her own babies. We're just thrilled! Congratulations, Queenie! And how fitting, on Mother's Day weekend!
I have been having so much fun designing the Whipper Snapper unmounted sets! The set we released in April was Happy Birthday. The hat and sentiment I used on this card are from that set. I like using bright colors on this hat for lots of Happy Birthday shout-out!
Two new unmounted sets are being released next Tuesday -- how fun is THAT! On my Mom's birthday! If I had a tail, I'd wag it!
There's a new line-up of Whipper Snapper Featured Designers to ooooh and ahhhhh us with their stamped creations. I can't wait to see what they've been up to! I'll reveal them on Tuesday - stay tuned!
Last night I mentioned that we received a special package in the mail yesterday, addressed to "The Cows".
Christina sent a birthday package for Dixie Cup, and today I was able to host a little celebration on the farm with the goodies from Christina and her Mom.
Here's the banner and handmade card Christina made, hanging proudly on the side of our barn, over where Dixie and Cup are in the side barnyard.
Cow Crossing! Moo!!
It's perfect! I think they are both a great addition to the barn!
Christina also sent along some homemade Cow Cookies, which she says were made with carrots, oats, soy butter, and maple syrup. They were a HIT!
Dixie and Cup enjoyed their cookies , and even shared them with the other cows and donkeys as well!
Here's a photo of Honey the hen enjoying some of the left over crumbs.
Thanks again, Christina! Your birthday package was a hit!
If it was possible to have babies coming out our ears, we'd have 'um coming out our ears! Claudie at the post office called us this morning, bright and early, at 6:45am. Our chicks where in! (Hi Claudie!)
So far, every single one of them is doing GREAT! They all look really healthy, eat well, nap well, and cheep well. That's as good as it gets when you're a baby chicken!
We received all 6 of the Buff Orpington chicks we ordered. They're so small and CUTE! It's amazing that something so small will eventually grown into a 10 pound chicken!
We received 3 of the 4 Red Silkies we ordered. They must have been running short on Red Silkies. In this photo, the Silkies are the ones with the the speckles on their heads (top-middle and far left side).
I think because they were short on Silkies, they sent along 7 (instead of 6 like we ordered) Red Frizzles! Oh my GOODNESS both of these breeds are TINY!! I would imagine they're about as big around as a golf ball. And that includes their fluff, too, and their little bodies are a lot smaller under all of that fluff! But they don' t weigh as much as a golf ball, that's for sure!
Because our order didn't fill an entire quarter-box (25 chicks), the hatchery sent along 7 male Araucana chicks for free to help keep the others warm during shipment. They're BEAUTIFUL!! And they'll grow up to be beautiful roosters (they said these are all roosters). Hope they're friendly roosters, and don't cause too much chaos on the farm. These chicks are at least twice the size - maybe even more - than the other chicks we received. And aren't they handsome in their pin striped fuzz?
Alan helped me get a few close-up photos of each breed we received. The lighting is a bit off due to the natural light from the window, the tungsten light from the room lights, and the red lights over the chicks. But you get the general idea.
This is one of the Red Silkies. Silkies have black-tinted skin, so around their eyes, their beaks/nostrils and their legs are all slightly tinted. They also have 5 toes on each foot. Three toes point out front like normal chickens, and then instead of having one tow that points towards the back, they have two that are very close together.
The light colored tip on this baby's beak is it's egg beak. It's a sharp little cap that grows on the tip of every chick's beak so they can more easlily break out of their egg when it's time to hatch. After a couple of days, the little cap pops off and their beak looks normal.
This is one of the Red Frizzle chicks. They're the smallest of all the chicks we ordered. The hens will grow to be less than 2 pounds when they're full grown. Roosters will weigh right about 2 pounds when their full grown. As they start to get their feathers in, we'll be able to see how many of them will have the true Frizzle-dos. I hope they all do! How fun would that be!!
Like the Silkies, and like Cochins, Frizzle chicks have feathers down the length of their leg and on their outside toe. All those feathers make them look like their wearing pantaloons when you see them from the backside!
This is the smallest of the Araucana chicks we received, also known as Americana's. The coloring on them is wonderful! The dark lines around their eyes are very striking. I had to call the hatchery this morning and ask what kind of chicken they were (since they weren't officially part of our order). It will be fun to see these fellas grow! We got three noticeably different color patterns (you can see them in the group photo above).
The Buff Orpington chicks are a nice creamy yellow color. They don't have any outrageous markings, but they'll grow up to be pretty butterscotch colored hens. They are a clean-legged chicken, so they don't have feathers down their legs or on their toes like the Silkies, Frizzles, and Cochins. What fun it is having them all here! Peep PEEP!!
Oh, and yes, hatcheries ship day-old chicks! Here's a photo of our shipping box. It's about 10x12, and was shipped Priority Mail.
What a fun mail day!
Tonight when Alan and I went out to check on the cows we noticed that Queenie is now showing signs that she may be calving soon. Of course, the signs she's showing are the same signs that Dixie teased us with for 3 weeks before having Dixie Cup. It's perfectly normal for what we're seeing to show as late as 24 hours before delivery, or to show for weeks before delivery (as Dixie proved). I noticed similar signs several nights ago as well. Tonight, things were a little more obvious so we decided to separate Queenie from the rest of the cows.
Alan and I moved Dixie and Cup into the side barnyard, and moved Queenie into the front barnyard where she has access to the barn and she's isolated from all of the other cows. We'll be keeping an extra close eye on her. Last year Queenie lost her baby after less than 12 hours after delivery (for unknown reasons) so we're not taking any chances with her this year. We'll keep you posted as things progress. Let's hope she doesn't keep us waiting as long as Dixie did!
CHICKENS!
As if another calf joining the farm soon isn't enough excitement, tomorrow morning around 7am we're expecting to get a call from the post office letting us know that our first order of baby chickens has been delivered to the post office. A couple of weeks ago, we (umm, I mean "I") ordered day-old chicks from Ideal Poultry. They shipped today and will be delivered tomorrow morning.
We'll be getting 4 Red Silkie Bantams, 6 Buff Orpington Bantams, and 6 Red Frizzle Cochin Bantams... and whatever else they decide to send along. Sometimes they add extra chicks to small orders for extra warmth during shipment. I borrowed the images below from the Ideal Poultry website to show you what the chickens will look like when they're adults.
Silkies are kind of different from your standard chicken. Instead of having regular feathers, their feathers are very fine, and "silky" like hair. They also have black skin, small combs, five toes on each foot, and turquoise colored earlobes! We haven't had any Silkies here on the farm, and I don't remember raising them when I was a kid, but I've always thought they were really fun! We'll see how they do! They are available in various colors (Red, Black, Buff, Partridge, Blue, Grey and White). I ordered red Silkies from Ideal, and next week will get a couple of buff colored Silkies from McMurray Hatchery when another order arrives.
Buff Orpington Bantams are the kind of chickens my Mom always raises. They lay beautiful brown eggs and are very sweet, gentle chickens. They'll be fun to have around. Hopefully we get mostly hens. I can't remember if I could just order hens, or if I had to order what's called "straight run" which means you could receive male or female, and no set number of either one - just whatever is picked for your order. If we do get "straight run" selection, hopefully we'll get lots of hens who will lay lots of beautiful eggs for us!
The third breed of chicken I ordered from Ideal Poultry is Red Frizzle Cochins. This is another breed we've never had here on the farm, and one that I don't remember raising as a kid. Frizzle chickens have feathers that curl out and forward, making them look like they're standing backwards in the wind ALL of the time! Not all Frizzle chickens have the forward curling feathers, though. According to Ideal Poultry, about 75% of them do have the forward curling feathers, and 25% of them will look fairly "normal" even though they still have the Frizzle gene. I am excited to see if the Frizzles we get have the true "Frizzle" feather-do! They are going to CRACK me UP!!
Should be a fun batch of babies! Next week we have an order from McMurray Hatchery arriving with even more variety of breeds! Wait until you see them! All of this in addition to the turken babies that the hens hatched out this past week. Oh my! Babies, babies everywhere!
It is so FUN hearing from people who read my blog. Thank you for the wonderful emails you've sent, and comments too!
An EXTRA big thank you to my new friend, Christina! In celebration of Dixie Cup's birth, our cows received the BEST package in the mail today from Christina! A wonderful handmade card, a beautiful big pink poster to hang in the barn, an original handmade "Cow Love" puzzle (Alan and I had a GREAT time putting it together tonight!), and oh my GOSH!! Christina and her Mom made homemade Cow Cookies out of all kinds of yummy, cow friendly ingredients! Christina, you're such a delight! Thank you from ALL the critters, and I thank you for the letter!
It was too late to share the goodies with the animals tonight, but tomorrow I will hang the poster in the barn and share the cookies with the cows and donkeys. Maybe even Betty the goat will have some too! Thank you, THANK YOU!! I'll take some photos tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Also, a little birdie told me that you recently celebrated your 8th birthday!
Happy Belated Birthday, Christina!! 
