Sassy & Sweet Notes

6+ inches of rain...

WOW! What a stormy night we had last night -- and there's more to come tonight! We got over 6 inches of rain, and most of it fell between 4:30pm and 8:00pm. And it kept on raining! We lost power just before 5:00. Lightening was so close, it even scared ME!

The "tank" that Alan and I rode the ATV through a couple of weeks ago is now completely full of water. I think it'll be a few days (at least!) before we see the bottom again.

Today we have Severe Storm warnings just to the west of us, and we're under a Tornado Watch zone.  {See current conditions here.}

Hope you're all safe where you live.

Time to feed the chickens! Cluck!

Wicked Spring Weather...

We've got some wicked spring weather coming our way.

Alan said if I hear a train I should climb into the bathtub and cover myself with pillows and blankets. ...oh my... he's talking about tornadoes. We don't live anywhere NEAR train tracks.

Let's hope it's just a lot of wind and rain. If you're wondering where Milford is on this map, you'll see the freeway between Dallas and Waco "Y". Milford is just above the Y intersection of the freeway.

View Current Milford Weather

I still think the whole idea of living in the middle of the country is crazy...

Whoa... Lightening and big thunder... shutting down the computer now.

Martini time?!

A Good Memory...

I've been working on a little project for myself lately that requires me to go through my photo archives. I've had some really wonderful memories brought back just by seeing a face, or place, or emotion I've captured with my camera.

Tonight I came across this photo I've titled Harvesting Tulips. Not long ago I posted a photo of a single tulip blooming in a bed of unopened tulip buds. {see it here if you missed it}

I took this photo of the field worker the same day while I was visiting the tulip farm. It was taken as the moment happened (in other words, it wasn't staged or posed). I really love the lighting, the composition, and the story the photo tells. I've got to wonder how many beautiful people enjoyed those very tulips for Easter, or birthdays, or just because.

I've entered this photo in competitions, and while it always scored well it has never been a prize winner. Comments from judges were always about the desire to see the workers face. But to me, this image isn't about seeing his face -- it's about the tulips and the harvest. And although I've brought this photo home several times without prizes, it still remains one of my favorites.

Hope you like it too...

Wonderful Day...

We've received about 3 inches of rain in the past 48 hours -- and we NEED it! We could use a whole lot MORE, actually!

This afternoon has turned into a beautiful day! The clouds have made room for a bit of sunshine, everything is well watered, and the trees are a bright shade of spring green. Chickens are busy in the barn yard chasing bugs and pulling worms. And Mister Farley is asleep in the chair. Does a dog's life really get any better?

It really is a wonderful day!

Products Used: Lamp, Chair, Dog and expression by Rosie's Roadshow; Pearlized White, Olive and Black cardstock by Paper Accents; Notecard by Memory Box; Markers by Prismacolor, Copic, Sakura, and Tombow; Stardust Stickles by Ranger; Jet Black Stazon ink by Tsukineko; Stamp-a-ma-jig; Tombow Mono Multi Liquid glue; Dimensionals by Stampin' Up!; Scalloped Mega Square Punch by Uchida.

Guiding Eyes

You might recall a post I wrote back in November about this photo I took of Mister Farley being used by an organization that helps non-profit agencies raise money. If not, you can read it here.

I received a sampling of cards from the agency that produced the cards. This is a photo of the card, and inside reads "Hope you feel better soon!"

I don't need as many of the cards as I received, so I thought I would offer them here on my blog. You may purchase cards in sets of five for $10.00. All funds collected from the sale of the cards will be donated to Guiding Eyes.

I currently have 27 sets of five cards available. Please contact me if you're interested in purchasing a set of cards, and we can arrange payment and mailing. I will keep this post current to the number of card sets available for purchase.

If you would like to make a donation in kind directly to Guiding Eyes, you will find more information on the Guiding Eyes Donation page.

Fitz in the Bluebonnets

While Alan and I were out in the pastures today taking photos of wildflowers, the donkeys decided to come "help" us. I'm THRILLED I was able to capture this photo of Fitz as he walked through an area of Bluebonnets.

Even though I'm the photographer, I think I'm still allowed to say that THIS is the CUTEST donkey photo! Fitz is deceivingly adorable here. In reality, he's is a wild animal full of spunk!

Maybe I can find a magazine to take this photo as a cover -- I think it'd be perfect! =)

Texas Wildflowers

Texas wildflowers have started to bloom, and I'm going to capture what I can while they're out this year and share photos of them here on my blog. So, Alan and I went out to the pastures today and I took a few shots of the Texas Bluebonnets (the Texas state flower) which have started to fill the fields and ditches along roadways.

In other places in the US, this flower is called Lupin. Lupin grows wild in northeastern Washington too, which is where I was raised, and has always been one of my favorite wildflowers. There are very large domestic varieties of Lupin too, available in all kinds of colors.

Here in Texas, Bluebonnets can be seen as single plants scattered here and there, or grow in huge thickets large enough to cover fields. Regardless of how many you see at once, they really are quite beautiful! They grow in our pastures and oddly enough, the cows and donkeys don't bother to eat them.

Alan and I also found this little yellow daisy plant in the pasture surrounded by Bluebonnets. The blooms on this plant are about the size of a penny.

I like how they grow in a small cluster of blooms, making them seem much larger than they really are. It isn't a very large plant in general. These blooms were only about ten inches from the ground, and sat at the very tip top of the stems.

I'm looking forward to the other wildflowers that will bloom here on the farm as well -- Mexican Hats, Indian Blankets, and Indian Paintbrush are just a few of my favorites that will bloom soon. Can't wait!

Spring Flower Blog Candy Winner!

BIG thanks to everyone who posted a comment for the Blog Candy drawing for the two flower stamps (see post below). I've randomly chosen one name from all of the posts. Congratulations to Linda Russell! Drop me a note, Linda, and I'll get your stamps out to you first thing Monday morning!

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend so far. The sun is out, the wind is blowin', but I'm going to TRY and get some wildflower photos today! There's still a bit of good light before sunset.

Cheers!

Twinkle Toes Layed an Egg!

Well, spring MUST be in the air -- Twinkle Toes layed an egg! Huey's singing and carrying on probably got her all excited. *wink* 

At least we know it's not fertilized (her and Huey haven't been cohabitating...)

I thought it would be fun to show you the different sized eggs we get on the farm. I would have included one of the green Bantam ones, but I didn't see one in the fridge. Maybe next time! =)

We've got one lone turkey hen who shacks up with the chickens. Her eggs are very large, and all speckled! Most of our chickens lay brown eggs - although, I think it is some of the older hens that lay eggs that have a creamy white colored shell. We have lots of Bantam chickens that lay really small brown or green eggs. They're so CUTE, and sometimes almost perfectly round and not egg shaped at all! Twinkle Toe's egg is the white one on the right. So very tiny.

Cluck, Cluck!

A Little Blog Candy...

It's 10:30pm here, and it's still almost 70 degrees outside. That's just WAY too warm for March in my opinion. Tomorrow it'll be near 80 ... phwew.

The best thing to come from warm weather like this is spring flowers.

The Texas Bluebonnets have started to bloom, and I'm hoping this weekend I can get out and take some photos of the little blue beauties!

Last weekend the light was good for photographing flowers, but the wind was out of CONTROL! And there's nothing easy about taking photos of wildflowers in a fast blowing breeze!

In honor of the changing seasons and the spring wildflowers, I think it's time for some Blog Candy!

If you'd like to be entered to win these two flower stamps, leave a comment on this post. I'll choose one name at random, Saturday at noon central time. So, be sure to leave your name on your post!

Here's hoping you see spring flowers where you live, soon!

Hen & Chicks meet Rosie's Roadshow!

I have a great fondness for chickens. Surprising, I know. *wink* When it came time to submit spring 2007 images to Whipper Snapper, I HAD to send in some chickens. One of the images is a lineup of fat-bottomed Hen & Chicks, who in my opinion look like they're up to no good.

Just a few days ago I received a card in the mail. I opened the envelope, and I nearly fainted!

Rosie, of Rosie's Roadshow, created this card for me in celebration of spring. A Rosie card, made just for ME!?! GASP!

If you can imagine how super it feels to receive something from one of your stampin' idols, imagine that feeling multiplied time and time and TIME again - that's how I felt when I opened the envelope and saw what I saw!

I am STILL totally delighted, tongue-tied, and WOW'd to see MY fat-bottomed Hen & Chicks so fat and happy, enjoying a Rosie's Roadshow trampoline in this brilliant design! These are some happy spoiled chickens, that's for sure!

Miss Rosie, thank YOU for sharing your creative-being with the world -- and with me. You are truly amazing!

And THEN! If that wasn't enough...more knock-my-socks-off mail!

Linda Berge is a card designer for Rosie's Roadshow, and I have admired Linda's work for years. Her cards can be found online in her Rosie's Roadshow gallery, and in numerous stamping publications...

...AND IN MY MAILBOX!!

It was another feeling of PURE delight when I received this card from Linda! Every one of the designs Linda creates totally amazes me. With the whimsical lineup of Roadshow critters, accessories, and props, Linda's cards are all brilliantly designed.

HUGE thanks to YOU, Linda, for sharing your energy with all of us!

How did I get so lucky?

Theme Free ATCs...

I participated in a couple of "theme free" Artist Trading Card (ATC) swaps recently. (Theme free meaning we could create anything we wanted...)

With the trees budding out and some of the wildflowers starting to bloom, I really wanted to use fresh colors and simple designs.

I am thrilled with how these flower cards turned out! I used one of the flowers from the Stampin' Up! set called Doodle This. I had a great time painting these cards! I used watercolor paper, so I was able to lay down a lot of color without worrying about the integrity of the paper.

Doodle This is available in the Stampin' Up! Spring Mini catalog, and you should order it while you can! It's FABULOUS!! There's a coordinating set called Doodle That, a coordinating alphabet called Doodle Alphabet, and even a number set called Doodle Numbers. Fun, Fun, FUN!! The sentiment "thanks for making me smile" is from the Stampin' Up! set called Small Sayings which was in the Stampin' Up! Winter Mini catalog. Another great set to own!

The pear I used on these Think Spring cards is one of my own Whipper Snapper Designs stamps released in January. I don't own all of the stamps I've designed for Whipper Snapper, but I did have to order the pear! It's one of my favorites!

I stamped the pears on shimmery white cardstock, and painted them very carefully with a water brush and ink from my Stampin' Up! reinkers. I say "very carefully" because it's easy to lay too much water down when painting on paper that's not made specifically for watercolor painting. If you get too much water on the paper, it will warp and bubble -- which is not really the look I was going for! *grin* The sentiment "think spring!" is by A Muse Artstamps. I totally dig their sentiments!

The flower cards and the pear cards have Stardust Stickles added for lots of shimmer and sparkle. How did I ever stamp without Stickles!?

I'm feelin' the need for some Blog Candy ... are you? Stay tuned!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

My Mom and Dad are celebrating their 37th wedding anniversary today - Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! They were married March 20, 1970. I don't have any photos of them on their wedding day handy, but I do have these two photos that I think are pretty cute, and worth sharing!

Here's Mom, and her sister Judy (standing). I think this was a new bike to Mom - certainly something worth smiling about! I asked Aunt Patty (another of Mom's sisters) if she knew what year this photo was taken -- her reply made me LAUGH!!

Aunt Patty: "Since your mom has her 2 front teeth she must have been in at least the 3rd grade (and her teeth look like her permanent ones, not her baby teeth). That would make her about 8 & a few months years old. And Judy is so skinny she must have been around 14 or 15 as they are 7.5 yrs apart. (Lori was born in May of 52 & Judy wouldn't be 8 until Nov 52). The photo was definitely taken in the summer.  However, I do not recognize the bike. Are you sure these are my sisters?"

Aunt Patty, you're a CRACK up! =)

Here's Dad in his 7th grade school photo. Everyone says I look just like my Dad, until they see me next to Mom. And then they think I look like Mom. I guess that means neither one of them could deny me!

Thirty-Seven Years ... and counting!

Playin' in the Mud...

Yesterday afternoon, Alan and I were out on the 4-wheeler and we noticed that there was water in the bottom of the tank (Texans call man-made ponds "tanks"). Needless to say, we decided to PLAY! But I didn't have my camera with me, so there are no photos from yesterday.

However, it was so much fun that we went back this evening and I took my camera!! I can't tell you how many times we each went through the water. The first few times through, the water was pretty much clear. But after a few times through, the water became more and more muddy. And of course, more and more hysterical!

OH MY GOSH... How much life-on-the-farm-FUN is THIS!! We laughed and LAUGHED as we took turns. I took photos of Alan, and he took photos of me -- what great memories these will be! You probably think I'm CRAZY for doing this...But it really was a hoot!

The sun was really low on the horizon by the time we were done and we were both soaked to the bone, and FILTHY! But, nothing that nice long HOT showers didn't take care of!

Here I am after one of my muddier trips through... I need to learn to keep from screaming and work on keeping my mouth shut!

I borrowed one of Alan's old ball caps to keep my hair in place. I'm glad I had it on -- it kept my head dry, at least!

Alan's light gray shirt is no longer light gray (on the front side anyway), and the white shirt he had on underneath? No longer white.

Now I think we just need to figure out how to keep water in the tank during the summer!

Ha ha-a-a-a!!

Ummm...does this make me a redneck?

Gretchen Wilson would probably think so...

Spring Fling ATCs

I hosted an Artist Trading Card (ATC) swap with the theme "Spring Fling". I received the last set of images on Saturday, and as I put together all of the packages this weekend it occurred to me that I hadn't taken or posted a photo of my swap card yet!

This is the card I made for the swap -- and oddly enough, the layout is almost identical to the layout that Leigh o'Brien used on her cards. We must have shared that brainwave! =)

All of the cards I received for the swap are fabulous -- and oh, so SPRINGY! I'll get a photo of them posted shortly!

Happy Monday!

Hatcher N' Friend

Remember the egg I pulled from the empty chicken nest as it started to hatch, and photographed as the chick came out of it's shell? {see it here}

Meet Hatcher! This is the chick that hatched that day!

I think it's a rooster, but it's hard to tell at this age...let's hope it's a hen! We have enough roosters!

It hatched on a Monday (almost 2 weeks ago), and on the next day Alan brought in another newly hatched chick so this one could be raised with a friend.

Meet N' Friend! This photo makes me laugh!! This little chick has so much character, and it really shows here! Standing normal, this chick *might* be 3 inches tall. And here, s/he's pushing a whoppin' 4 inches. I just love the expression... 

You can see Hatcher in the background getting a head rub from Alan.

These chickens are S-P-O-I-L-E-D!!

And don't tell anyone ... but this is how we spent our Saturday night. HA!!

DollieMae...Age: 13

Meet DollieMae. She's a Great Pyrenees which are known for their ability to protect livestock in pastures (especially goats and sheep). This year DollieMae is 13 years old - quite an accomplished age for a large breed working dog. We're not sure of her exact birthday (we do know it's in February) since she lived on the farm before we lived here.

DollieMae spends most of her days laying around the farm sleeping. She keeps an eye on things here, and makes sure every visitor to the farm is greeted with a handshake (and visitors get bonus points if they pat her on her head). At night, she walks around the farm making sure the animals stay away from the fences. She spends a great deal of time barking and walking and walking and barking ... "Get away from the fence!"

A few of her favorite things: Naps in the sunshine, fried eggs for breakfast, being brushed, and hotdogs stuffed with arthritis medicine *keeps her movin' all night!*

Dinner Time!

It's getting pretty late in the day here, and I wanted to share this photo with you before I run out time in my day. I took this photo yesterday evening as the sun was setting on the fields. Fitz had the right idea...dinner time!

I had dinner on the stove, and while I waited for things to cook I decided I'd check out what was happening out by the barn. This is about as exciting as it got!

We've had a couple of days with some rain, so the grass-less areas of the pasture are pretty muddy. It kind of looks like Jackie has been enjoying some mud rolls, and I think Fitz has taken his turn rolling in the mud too.

Fitz is a pretty cute donkey. Every now and then he gets brave and walks right up to one of us while we're out with the animals. And then, just as we reach out to touch his head, he decides that we're still a little too scary and off he goes again, wild as a March hare.

Ok...now I have to laugh... I just used one of Alan's wacky sayings "Wild as a March hare". I have to admit, the first time Alan said this to me I had NO IDEA what he was talking about. I thought maybe he meant "hair" (instead of "hare") ... and I couldn't quite figure out what would make "hair" more wild in March than in any other month.

He explained it.
Sheesh...
Wild as a March hare ...

May Arts Ribbon ... *squeal*

I nearly fainted when I opened the box of May Arts ribbon that arrived yesterday! So many ribbons - so much FUN!

They're all posted in the Sassy & Sweet shop. You'll find pretty dots, stripes, checks, stitches, organzas, and velvets, oh MY!

(And I do ship internationally - just request an invoice when you're done shopping and I'll set you up!)

I Squealed with Delight!

If you live within 500 miles of me, you could probably hear me squeal with delight today when I opened my latest ribbon order! My oh MY!!

Do you like the silky smooth feel of Stampin' Up grosgrain ribbon?

I do! I do!!

All of the new ribbons I received today all have that same look and feel -- and I couldn't be happier!

There are 12 new colors in the shop, and you've got to see them! (I'm hearing lots more squealing!)

Chocolate, Soft Pink, Petal Pink, Sweet Pink, Paris Pink, Tulip Red, Dark Scarlet Red, Red Wine, Spring Blue, Tropical Blue, Pearly White, and Granny Smith Green.

Delightful ... every last one of them!

These ribbons are a bit pricier for me to order, but I'm selling them at the same price as my other 1/4" grosgrain ribbons ... why?

Because I like you.
       

1930's Reproduction Fabric

Thought I'd share another handbag. This is a custom order bag made out of 1930's reproduction print fabrics.

I knew the fabric was perfect for the person it's for not only because of the sweet combination of colors in purple, orange and green, but also because of the cheery print of the fabrics.

I've really been enjoying making these bags. I will have a few more custom bags to share with you soon -- I'm just waiting for the fabric to arrive so I can get busy sewing! And I'll be making a few more to sell on the shop soon too -- there's just not enough time in the day for all of my projects!

We got a bit of rain here yesterday evening and last night (1.5" total), and boy could we sure use some more! We had a few mid-80 degree days last week, and that's just too warm and dry for this time of year.

Oh... and why do the weekends have to be so FAR apart!?

Pink Pretties

I made some time for stamping this evening. I didn't have a lot of time -- I had so much to catch-up on this weekend since I was away from home all last week, so I kept things pretty simple.

I used some of my new "Bundles of Bouquets" stamps by  My Favorite Things to make this card. The row of roses is a stamp made up of three rosebuds, stamped three different times to create the row of nine flowers. I think these flower buds are *adorable*! The little corner swirlies & flower are from the same set - very cute!

I also had to play with some of my new Prima flowers! Prima Petites come in lots of great coordinating colors, shapes and sizes and I was able to quickly layer a couple together to create a unique bloom.

I  really like the ribbon I used on this card, and *sniffle* this was my last bit of it! I had to be a little creative on how I added it to the card so I could make sure I had enough! The ends are held to the backside of the black layer with small Glue Dots, and the ribbon ties on the front are held in place with the brad at the center of the flower. *Phwew* ... just barely enough!
 

Products Used: Bundles of Bouquets by My Favorite Things; Pearlized White, Black and Celery cardstock by Paper Accents; Designer paper by Creative Imaginations; Ribbon from Michael's; Prima Flowers; Brad by Making Memories; Markers by Prismacolor; Markers by Copic; Markers by Tombow; Jet Black Stazon ink by Tsukineko; Glue Dots; Tombow Mono Multi Liquid glue.

Crafty Secret stamps are in the SHOP!

Crafty Secrets released a new line of Clear Art Stamps at CHA in January and they're so FUN! And what's better is you'll find these stamps in the Sassy & Sweet Crafts store! I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to carry Crafty Secret products. I think they're just delightful!

The set shown here is called Bird Notes - and I *love* it! The birds are perfect, and the detail of these images is amazing!

There are eight different sets available, including Kewpies, Kitchen Classics, Artsy Alphabet, French Mail, Card Sentiments, Cherubs, Bird Notes, and Rosy Wishes.

You'll want to check out the Craft Secrets Sample Gallery for some fantastic projects featuring the stamps. I think you'll love what you see!

Mona Lisa featured these stamps on her blog recently. Check out her thoughts on these stamps {here}.

I'm Back!

In case you're wondering why I've been so quiet here lately, it's because I had to do some travel for work this week. But, I'm BACK! I sure missed home, and it's so nice to be back. Although I think it wore me out a little -- today I took a 3 hour nap! Sheesh!

It was a trying week here at home while I was gone, and I'm very disappointed that this was the week I had to be away from the farm. On Tuesday when I left for my trip, one of our Dexter cows had her calf. Alan's parents came to check on the calf, and Alan's mom even took this photo that afternoon. But when Alan got home from work that evening he found the calf dead in the pasture. We're very sad. =(

What makes it even more difficult is not knowing what happened. We've got one more Dexter cow that needs to give birth later this month, so please send all your happy cow thoughts our way. We need them!

As for a bit of good news, the chick that hatched in my office on Monday is doing great! Another chick hatched out with the hens on Wednesday, so Alan brought it in so this chick could be raised with a friend. I'll get photos up this weekend.

Store Update: Stay tuned for some fun new products to hit my shop this weekend! I've got a new Memory Box order and Crafty Secrets stamps are in! You won't want to miss out on these!! They're FANTASTIC!!

But for now I'm off to make some dinner...  hope you're enjoying your weekend!!

Whipper Snapper Contest Results

Whipper Snapper recently hosted an Easter/Spring Paper Crafting contest and winners were posted this week. Congrats to everyone! How fun to see some of my own stamp designs presented in the contest! Check out the designs posted on the Whipper Snapper site here: Spring Winners

If you're interested in participating in the Summer Paper Crafting contest, get more details here: Summer Contest

Changing Seasons...

I love photographing flowers. When I lived in Oregon one of my favorite things to do was spend early spring afternoons going from field to field taking photos.

I was fortunate as a photographer to have access to some of the large commercial growing greenhouses in the Willamette Valley. It allowed me to get a jump on my floral photography before fields were in bloom. Some of my favorite flower photos were taken in greenhouses, long before flowers could be seen in the fields -- and while the flowers were still protected from insects and weather. Greenhouses provide the ideal lighting for photography as well. Filtered sunlight makes for eye-poppin' colors!

This photograph is only a small portion of a HUGE flat of tulips that was grown in a greenhouse north of Eugene, Oregon. The day I took this photo, workers were harvesting the budding flowers to be sold in local shops. One tulip, the Early Bloomer in this photo, looked so out of place on the flat of buds - but looked so perfectly placed at the same time.

Photographing in greenhouses before flowers were seen in the fields always made me feel like I had a sneak peak on spring. If it doesn't feel quite like spring yet where you live, enjoy this sneak peek of spring from me, to you.

The Hatching

When I went out to feed the chickens this morning, I was surprised to find the body of a little yellow "naked neck" chick near a nest that one of the Turken (Manetta) hens has been sitting on. It was all hatched out of its shell, but sadly it had already passed away when I found it.

Another egg in the nest (this egg) had started to hatch and I couldn't bare to leave it thinking that since it was chilly out this morning, and since the hen had left the nest, that this one would more than likely die as well.

So...  I brought it in the house.
I put the egg in a box on some tissue, and placed the lamp over the box for warmth. It needs to be about 100 degrees for hatching chicks.

Humidity needs to stay pretty high too, so I added a small bowl of water to help keep moisture in the air.

Pretty soon, the chick started pulling itself from the egg, peeping now and then. Towards the end of the day the chick had pulled itself totally out of the egg and was starting to stretch its legs.

Cute little baby chicken!

I told you we weren't done naming critters! AND, we have two cows about to have babies too! Life on the farm is so FUN!

Creating these photos and this post has been really fun for me -- and educational too!

A Little Sunshine...

We're having a sunny day here today, which made me wish for flowers. BIG, sunny yellow flowers!

So, I poked around in some of my photo files and found this photo of a sunflower I took on a farm near Hood River, Oregon a couple of summers ago while on a day-trip with my friend Sharon.

Rasmussen Farms raises fresh produce, fruit, flowers, and pumpkins!! Towards the end of the summer every year they have Van Gogh Days, which celebrates the many varieties of sunflowers grown on the farm.

People can walk through the giant sunflower fields and hand-pick flowers, and enjoy the view of Mt Hood and surrounding valleys. They welcome painters, and photo groups too.

Sharon and I had a great time. If you're in the area, I recommend visiting their farm. There are nice vineyards in the area too, if wine is your thing. In fact, I think there's even a dinner/wine train that circles the valley -- worth looking into, I'm sure!

I'm going to have to plant some sunflowers here on the farm this year... seeing lovely flowers every day - what a treat!

Meet Fitzgerald - "Fitz"

Well, well, well....  after all of the GIRL names we've been considering for the new donkey, wouldn't you know this silly donkey finally confirmed today that HE's a BOY.

Alan said that earlier today while I was in town the animals were all being crazy in the pasture. All of the excitement probably had something to do with sunshine, new hay, and apple treats. Let's just say that some of them were a bit more *excited* than others.

Finally, we're happy to introduce Fitz! Some of you caught on to our democrat naming convention. We've got donkeys named Hillary, Billy, Jackie, and now Fitz (for John Fitzgerald Kennedy). We think it's a fitting name! There were so many fabulous names suggested!! To go along with the democrat theme, I really liked "Oh" for Jackie's Oh, which was suggested by Julie E. from Waterboro, Maine.

We also have two old donkeys named Molly and Muffin, but they were named before they came to the farm. I'm sure if they needed names when they came here, they would have been given democratic names too. *grin*

Thanks to everyone who suggested names. We'll certainly keep track of all of your suggestions as there always seems to be something new that needs a name around here! For example, a little gray and white stray tom cat showed up last week and has decided to call the farm home. He's now known as Murphy. Just when we get the last wild cat fixed, another one shows up. Uninvited! Murphy's Law.

Sunny Birthday Card

I really like some colors of yellow. Like the yellow on the petals of sunflowers. That's a great yellow! And the yellow of the petals on Black-Eyed Susans. Another great yellow (maybe it's the same as the sunflowers?) Stampin' Up's Yo-Yo Yellow? Ewww... I don't like that yellow. Pure cadmium yellow? Not a good yellow.

But I do love the rosier yellows - they're almost orange - like the polka dot paper on this card by Chatterbox. I added the whimsical images (that you can barely see in this photo) to the paper with my Paper Salon doodles stamps. I stamped them in Stampin' Up's Apricot Appeal ink (which happens to be one of my favorite Stampin' Up colors!)

The Two Black-Eyed Susans stamp is one of my Whipper Snapper images from last summer. I stamped it on shimmery white paper, and colored the image with Prismacolor markers. Since this card doesn't have to be mailed, I added a full bow to the front of the card. I like to do this when the card doesn't have to be mashed into an envelope and mailed. This card is for Alan's Mom -- her birthday is tomorrow. Happy Birthday, Sue!

Speaking of birthday's, I talked to my Mom last night. Yesterday was my Grandpa Burt's birthday (Dad's dad) - he would have been 78 this year. And today is my Grandpa Ader's birthday (Mom's dad) - he would have been 105!!

Happy Birthday to all of you celebrating your birthday in March. Oh, and did you know ... not only is March "National Craft month", but it's also "Adopt a Guinea Pig month"!

Products Used: Flower stamp by Whipper Snapper; Doodles by Paper Salon; Sentiment by Stampin' Up!; Pearlized White and Black cardstock by Paper Accents; Designer paper by Chatterbox; Ribbon by May Arts; Markers by Prismacolor; Markers by Copic; Markers by Tombow; Jet Black Stazon ink by Tsukineko; Apricot ink and Dimensionals by Stampin' Up!; Decorative Scissors by Kraft Edgers; Tombow Mono Multi Liquid glue.

Baby Blog Candy Winner!

It's so fun to see all the names that you've suggested for the donkey. We've added each of them to the list, and will hopefully be able to choose a name for her.

Once we've got the donkey named, the naming isn't over... there will be two more calves to name soon (one we know is due in March...), and I'm sure we'll have a load of chickens new to the farm soon as well. One of our hens is sitting on a nest now that's so full of eggs she can barely keep them all covered!

Speaking of naming, earlier in the week I posted a photo of one of our Turken hens. Manetta posted a comment that reads: "She is a cutie! And look at that strut! Can you say 'super model?' She is walking the walk. You have to name her! Manetta"

So, we're taking her advice and we've named the Turken hen Manetta! In fact, it's such a great idea that we might just call all of the Turken hens Manetta!

Now for the the winner of the Baby Blog Candy! Congrats to Frannyb AKA Beth Beasley! Beth, email me your address and I'll send out the blog candy package to you as quickly as possible!!

Hope you all have a marvelous weekend!! Cheers to you!

Prairie Flower Handbag

The cute prairie flower handbag has been listed on ebay. It's listed as an auction, and has a buy it now price for those of you who might not want to wait the length of the 3-day auction.

Check out the listing here:
Prairie Flower Handbag

This bag is made from beautiful coordinating fabrics from a Washington State designer. I love this fabric so much, I'm going to have to get more so I can make a bag for myself! Not only is the fabric so pretty, but it feels fantastic!! *LOVE* it!!

Baby Blog Candy

To celebrate the new baby donkey on the farm (scroll down to see the photos), I'm offering up this package of Baby Blog Candy!!

Alan thinks the baby donkey is for sure a girl, so we're going to go with that until she proves otherwise.

So, now we're back to the task of choosing a name! Thanks for all of the fabulous suggestions so far! We're creating a list and when something really jumps out at us we'll make it official.

But, back to the Blog Candy! If you'd like to be considered for the drawing, please leave a comment on this post by Saturday at NOON Central Time, March 3rd! You only have two requirements when you leave your comment. First, suggest a name for the baby donkey, and also be sure you add your own name to your post (so I can call your name out if you win!)

The person randomly chosen to win the blog candy will receive the package of Artistic Baby Boy Tags by Making Memories, the Power Bond Tombow Mono Adhesive, as well and the Wishing you Joy and Prego Lady stamps. AND, there just might be a few surprises in the package as well!

All of the baby names suggested will be added to our list for consideration! Hopefully we'll have a name for the donkey soon...

Can't wait to hear all of your baby name suggestions!

Oh! And I can't forget -- BIG THANKS to my friend Vivian for sending me the Prego Lady stamp for this give away! {{HUGS}} to Vivian!!

Rain Slicker Day

I'm working on some Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) for a swap and have been thinking about all things "spring".

While this design isn't an ATC, it is one of the images I'm considering using for the swap. But I haven't decided for sure yet. I'm sure I'll post the design I end up creating for the swap, so we'll see where my ideas take me.

This is one of the images I created for the spring 2007 Whipper Snapper  release.  It's called "Umbrella & Slicker" and can be found on the Whipper Snapper online store {here}.

Big umbrellas and rain slickers are certainly springy in my mind since I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I guess depending on the state you live in they can be considered all-season attire.

I think rainy days are wonderful days -- and perhaps those of you still buried in winter snowfall would appreciate a couple of warmer rainy days to help remove some of the snow. Soon enough, spring flowers will be poking through the dirt, and we'll be surrounded by splendiferous SPRING days!

Products Used: Umbrella & Slicker by Whipper Snapper; Sentiment by A Muse Artstamps;  Pearlized White, Black and Tangerine cardstock by Paper Accents; Designer paper by Crate Paper ; Ribbon by May Arts; Markers by Prismacolor; Markers by Copic; Markers by Tombow; Jet Black Stazon ink by Tsukineko; Dimensionals by Stampin' Up!; Tombow Mono Multi Liquid glue.

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...

This is a Turken. Cute, eh? *snicker*

We've got several of these on the farm, mixed in with the chickens. I've since learned that Turkens were originally bred in Hungary and Germany, and are also called "Naked Necks".

(She's supposed to look like this...)

They are good layers of brown eggs, adapt well to cold and hot temperature changes, and the hens seem to be good mothers.

The roosters can be aggressive with the hens, so thankfully we don't have any of those.

I'm feelin' a little haggard and out of sorts this morning ... this photo reminds me that, well... it could be worse.