Sassy & Sweet Notes

Crafty Secrets Vintage Journal Notes (Blog Candy!)

I haven't had any blog candy recently, so it was perfect timing when Sandy at Crafty Secrets offered to send the Crafty Secrets designers a handful of the new Vintage Images & Journal Notes booklets to share. Sounds like a great blog candy offering to me!

Sandy recently released four different booklets of journal notes. I'm always impressed at the fun images Sandy finds to include in her vintage booklets, and these are no exception! There's one booklet specific to Summertime with great floral images and seasonal images like vacations, the fair, the beach, etc. Another booklet is dedicated to Childhood images with sweet kids, animals, and lots of images that remind me of books my Mom read to me when I was a kid. Another booklet is all about things Homemade. Wonderful fruits and veggies, sassy ladies in the kitchen, and clever expressions. The fourth book is all about Birds and Botanicals. It is a wonderful collection of images.

I was really excited to see the finished books! I find that using a combination of stamping and vintage images is a really great, and quick, way to put together projects.

On the Simple Life card, I used the adorable image of the Kewpie kids playing in the haystack. I was THRILLED to find this image in the Summertime Journal Notes booklet! It's one of my favorites of all four booklets! And the sentiment is so very fitting for my life on the farm.

Lately, I'm really drawn to adding real stitches to even the smallest of projects, like gift tags, cards, and altered journals (add the stitches to layers before you adhere them to your journal!). On the Simple Life card, I used a combination of straight and zig zag stitches for a real "homespun" look. The textures of the twine, texture and colors of the papers in combination with the sewing and feel-good image, make this a truly handmade from the heart card. The tree branch stamped in the background is one of the images from the recently released Bird Lovers Clear Art Stamp set.

Now...about the blog candy! If you would like to enter your name into the drawing for a set of the new vintage Images & Journal Notes booklets, leave a comment on this post. I would like to know what technique you're drawn to lately on your crafting projects. Also, be sure to leave your name on your post! I will choose 1 lucky name from all comments (randomly of course) on May 1st at 8pm Central. The person chosen will receive one of each of the four new booklets, courtesy of Crafty Secrets.

Also, be sure to check out the Crafty Secrets blog, Heartwarming Vintage, for more ideas using the new vintage booklets!

Happy Wednesday!

More Milking Fun

Yesterday evening we had more fun on the farm, which included another milking of Dixie to again take some of the pressure off of her udder. She looks, and I'm sure FEELS, soooooo much better.

The first time we milked her, Dixie Cup spent most of the time in the barn out of sight. Not last night! Dixie Cup frolicked in the barnyard while her Mama was held captive in the chute being milked by Alan's dad, John.

Speaking of funny man John, I had no IDEA that milk being squeezed from a teat could travel upwards of 15-20 feet! Imagine my surprise when I got squirted while I was busy taking photos of Dixie Cup!

Thankfully, the sun was shining, and Dixie Cup stayed out of the shade! This makes for better photos! She has a habit of coming out of the barn, catching a snack from Dixie, and finding a nice shady corner and laying down. Such a stinker.

I've been updating my Farm Animal photo gallery. Take a look if you'd like to see more photos!

Oh, and by the way, University of Nebraska-Lincoln has chicks hatching today on their Egg Cam!

Finally, a NAME!

A BIG thank you to everyone for all of the name suggestions you offered for Dixie's calf! After DAYS of stewing over what to call her, we've finally decided on Dixie Cup. A BIG thank you to Terri Trotter Early for submitting this suggestion! We like that it stays with the Dixie theme, is whimsical, and clever!

Here are some other suggested names that we felt were particularly charming:
- Doodle (one my my personal favorites!)
- Dixie's Midnight Runner (or Dexi)
- Ebony
- Dixie's Lullaby (I added this one to the list myself...)
- Patience
- Eyla Few (I Love You...)
- Lots of Alan and Anna variations
- Slo-Poke (another personal favorite)
- Moo Cow
- Guinness
- Emmy Moo Wight (haha!!)
- Licorice
- Bloomer
- Channa-Gaelic for slow moving stream
- Shanna-Irish for slow moving stream
- Scarlet O'Hara
- DeeDee
... and SOOO many others! It's tough working naming an animal! We thank you for all of your suggestions!

We're expecting three more calves to be born here this year (some sooner than others!), and it looks like a baby donkey might be delivered soon, too!

I took these photos yesterday evening. All of these cows are registered Dexter cows.

This is Princess (she had Ribeye last spring). She's expecting. Alan bought Princess and Queenie (in the background) at the same time when they were babies newly weaned from their mothers. So, while they weren't born here on the farm, they've grown up here. They're very nice cows. They were already named when Alan bought them, and the names just kind of stuck.

This is Queenie. She's expecting. She started out being a fairly wild heifer. She had a baby last spring (a little heifer) that didn't make it to day 2. Very sad. We'll be keeping an extra close eye on Queenie and her calf this year. Queenie has been very calm during this pregnancy. Most of the cows don't particularly LIKE being touched, but Queenie seems to enjoy it.

To give you an idea of her size, here is a photo of Alan (who's 5'10) and Queenie. She is our smallest cow (Chick and Lucy not included, since they're still growing heifers). Alan is standing even with her back hip. He tried to step closer, but Queenie just stepped away, letting him know that since he was close enough to reach, and that was close enough for her. Her eyes are closed...I think she likes it.

We also have Pixie, a slightly smaller version of Dixie (who's our biggest cow). We bought Pixie in November 2007, at the same time we bought little Lucy (who's still tiny as can be!). Pixie is expecting. We bought her as a bred cow - sort of like a two-for-one deal.

All of these expected calves (and donkey) will keep us busy for the next few months! And, if that wasn't enough, we've got a bunch of FANCY baby chickens arriving soon as well! And baby goats! WHOA! Soooo much fun on the farm! My parents live in Washington and will visit the farm for the first time this summer. There will be plenty of activities to keep us all busy!

Udder Madness

In addition to the regional Dexter Cattle meeting, and the Camel farm sighting, yesterday also made for an interesting day on the farm.

Since having her calf (who's name is TBD), Dixie's udder has grown beyond what we feel is healthy for her. The baby is eating well, and has been since only a few hours after birth. But there's just no way she can eat enough to reduce the amount of milk that Dixie is producing. So for the health of Dixie and her udder, we needed to take some of the pressure off. You can see how HUGE her udder is in this photo of her licking her back.

The natural way to remove the pressure in an udder is by milking. Dixie's not used to being milked. Cows kick and carry on, especially when they're in situations they're not familiar with. We knew Dixie wasn't going to be very happy with us grabbing around down there, so the best solution for the situation was to put her in the chute where she would be in a safe and controlled space. Having her in the chute also allowed us to easily control her kicking, and reduce her stress level (and ours). Once John (Alan's dad) got the milk flow started, Dixie was certainly curious as to what we were doing! Being in the chute does not hurt the cow at all. It's actually very safe for them, and us. It's where we administer all of their medical treatment, as necessary.

Alan held a soft cotton rope around Dixie's leg. He was able to safely, and gently, keep her leg in place - and keep her from kicking the hand of whomever was milking at the time. Dixie is familiar with being in the chute, but knowing that this was her first experience with being milked (as well as ours), we were happy to have Alan's parents there not only to help move Dixie safely into the chute, but also for their first hand knowledge of milking a cow.

We all took turns milking, but John was exceptionally good! We should call him Two-Stream John from now on! We didn't milk her completely since she has the calf to feed. We just milked enough to take the pressure out of her teats, and ease the tightness of her udder. When we were finished, we opened up the chute and let Dixie out. She stepped out, gave each of us a long displeased glance, and then headed off to the barn where her calf enjoyed a nice meal of warm milk from Dixie's udder.

Today, Dixie's udder looks much better. It's still large, but at least it's not so large that it looks like it's going to explode! Alan and I are very grateful that his parents were able to assist with this process.

New experiences here never cease.

Not your typical farm...

Today, Alan and I, along with Alan's parents, drove a couple hours south of where we live to attend a regional Dexter cattle meeting. The event was fairly standard...lots of informational stuff, look at the animals various people brought to sell, then return home. I drove and decided we needed to take a different route home than we usually take when we go to and from the cattle meetings (they're always in the same location). We drove through Crawford, Texas. (Pres. Bush's ranch is there...) Very small town. They say the population of Crawford is just over 700. Itty bitty town, for sure.

I was driving along, on a road we've never been on. The scenery was nice - wildflowers were blooming along the roadway. Alan and his parents were lightly dozing off and on. At one point, I gazed over into the barnyard of a small farm we were driving past and had to do a double-take! A triple-take! I was so puzzled by what I saw that I pulled off the side of the road, turned around, and went back up to the farm to get a closer look!

CAMELS! In Texas!? Sure enough! At least five of them - maybe six (I can't remember now). They were so TALL!! It's hard to tell just how tall they were by these photos. But trust me ... they were TALL! I had to snap a few photos...

This guy's not your typical Texas farmer! How fun! We couldn't believe it! What a HOOT!

inkin' of you

There's been so much activity around here the past few weeks, I haven't had much time to put any ink to rubber. But I did steal a few minutes away to put together this card, using an image I colored last week!

You'll notice my ol' standby layout, with a slight twist. It's square! I didn't even have to cut the patterned paper. It was already the perfect sized scrap!

This cute little image and sentiment are by Amuse. Alan pointed out that octopuses don't have mouths like this. They have a beak. And they're scarier looking. *giggle!* And here I thought he'd notice my crooked stitches!

Betty & Alan

It's been a while since I mentioned how the little goats are doing. Sadly, in the week after getting Boxcar Willie, we had to have our vet put him down. He was sickly, and nothing we did helped him get better. We didn't want him to suffer any longer. He was a friendly little goat, and we miss him. He's buried here on the farm, near Dollie Mae, so she can keep an eye on him. (I haven't mentioned this yet, because it was kind of a traumatic little experience for me. *sniff*)

Now that Boxcar Betty is our only goat (for the time being), she's warming up to us. When we first got Betty, she didn't let us touch her. She was VERY shy, and hated being caught. But we've discovered that Betty will do ANYTHING for an animal cracker cookie! She'll even sit in my lap, and likes to be held! She watched very calmly as we trimmed up her little hooves. She's got quite the personality, and it's fun to see her express it as she gets more and more comfortable with us. In this photo, Alan is telling her that she needs to smile for the camera, and that soon she'll have new little goat friends to play with.

After we lost Willie, Alan found a breeder of Nigerian Dwarf goats not too far from us. We drove over one evening to see his recent babies. Oh my GOODNESS, babies babies EVERYWHERE! They were so FUN! We ended up putting a deposit on two of the babies we met that day. So that they can have plenty of time with their mama's, we're leaving them at his farm until the middle of May. Then they'll be old enough to come live on our farm, with miss Betty! More on them later!

Alan and I are headed down to a Dexter Cattle Association meeting today. Should be fun! There will be cows (and babies!) there to see!

Have a great Saturday!

What's My Name?

Alan and I are still tossing around ideas for names for this little one, but we just can't decide. We've decided we need your help!

Some facts about her to inspire you:
- She is a black, long-legged Dexter heifer
- Dexter cattle originated in Ireland
- She was born April 24, 2008
- Her star sign is Taurus
- She has white belly button hair
- She has a smidgen of white hair near her udder
- She has brown eyes
- Her ear tag will be LF1U
- Her mother is Dixie Maxie
- Her father is Driscol (we call him Beavis)
- Her half-brother is Ribeye (born last year on the farm)
- Her half-sister is Dixie's Chick (born last year on the farm)

I took this photo yesterday afternoon while her mama, Dixie, munched on grass. What a sweet little thing...

A New World...

At 2:30 I went down to the barn to make sure things were going smoothly. Of course, I took my camera!

We left the chickens locked up in their chicken yard so they weren't spending the day in and out of the barn kicking up all kinds of dust. They were a little miffed that they haven't been let out of their yard yet today, but they'll forgive me tomorrow when they get to run around the farm like wild animals again.

Dixie decided it was time for them to see a new world, outside of the barn. Out they went. It's a bright, sunny day here with temps in the high 80's. Perfect for baby sunbathing! The little one got to try out her new legs, and Dixie got some nice green grass to munch on. There's plenty o' room in her belly for lots of grass today!

We have a couple of different barn yards that are connected with gates. Dixie has access to both of the yards. The barn opens up to the main yard, and it's just a short walk over to the gate of the second yard. That's where they headed. Slow and steady ... well, slow for sure, but not always so steady.

Man...I thought Dixie's udder was GIANT earlier this week. Today, words can't describe the bodaciousness of her ta-tas! Lorrrrrrr-day! Just looking at her makes my back hurt! *grin*

Dixie's a Mama!

Look who Alan found in the barn this morning! On his BIRTHDAY, even!

How fun is that! Way to GO, Dixie!

This is the first photo I took of the new baby. It was early (about 7:10am) and it's cloudy today, so there was little light coming into the barn. This makes for tricky photography when there's no on-camera flash either!

I was just out at the barn a bit ago and witnessed breakfast. Yay! Seeing a new born calf eating is a very good thing. The sooner they start nursing, the better. It's important for them to get vital antibodies from colostrum that's produced by the mother for only a short amount of time after the calf is born. I also witness some "weeing", so it would seem we've got a little heifer! Yay!!

Thank you for all the congrats! We're pleased! Dixie is cranky...but I would be too.

If you're wondering what breed of cattle we have, we raise Dexter cattle. Dexters are considered to be the smallest breed of cattle in the US, which makes them perfect for small farms. Cows mature to 750-800 pounds, and are typically 36-42 inches high at the shoulder. Bulls mature to 1000-1100 pounds and 38-44 inches high at the shoulder. The little calf born here today weighs about 30-35 pounds. Learn more here.

On the Farm

Funny Girl Karrie Baker and I decided to have a little Rosie's Roadshow "on the farm" stamp off.

Karrie chose the theme, and it's quite fitting not only for Rosie stamps, but for life here on the farm as well!

This is my card - a happy barn yard scene with all the critters waiting for a new baby to be born. All images by Rosie's Roadshow, stamped in black StazOn and painted with a water brush and reinkers.

Be sure to check out Karrie's wildly FUNNY on the farm creation. I *love* it!

Happy Birthday, ALAN!

We'll have lasagna, grilled zucchini, spring salad, and garlic bread for dinner, and a yummy birthday dessert! Sounds like a pretty good birthday dinner to me!

Oh ya, and PRESENTS!
Oh how I do love PRESENTS!

Happy Birthday, Mister!
XoXo.

Spring Storm...

Tonight we had quite the spring storm come through central Texas! In less than 1 hour, we got over 6 inches of rain (the gauge overflowed).

At one point, I stood under our covered patio and tried to get some photos of the rain, but I failed miserably. The water came off of the roof of the garage like it was being poured out of a HUGE bucket!

This photo is our windchime that hangs at the edge of our porch being WHIPPED by the wind and rain. The light in the distance is the light on the garage. Shortly after I took this photo a massive gust of wind blew through, moving several chairs across the patio, and even sent our BBQ grill crashing off of the patio onto the grass. That's when it was clearly time to go inside!

When it let up a bit, Alan and I made the rounds around the farm making sure all the critters were still tucked in their shelters, dry and warm. The hour following, we got another inch and a quarter of rain in a short little down pour. Wow. Talk about rain.

Dixie stood in the barn the entire time. No baby. Yet. =)

...and we WAIT...

Thankfully, Dixie isn't beyond her due date. She just LOOKS ready. And probably FEELS ready, too.

In this photo she's watching Alan, who's walking towards her. She's just SURE he's going to bring her some cow cookies.

And he probably did.

Thursday is Alan's birthday. Maybe Dixie will return the "gift", in the form of a little heifer calf! Wouldn't THAT be something!

I won't hold my breath.

Guilty...

I made this card last night and ever since, I've been totally cracking up at the expression on the left owl's face! He looks so guilty! Hmm... wonder what he's got to be guilty about!? And did he blame the dog? *snicker*

The image is stamped in black StazOn and painted with a water brush and watercolor paint. I went a little crazy with the sewing machine.

And speaking of GUILTY.....

These are probably "old news", but I saw them for the first time this evening when I was at the grocery store. They "fell" into my cart. Honest.

I love Oreos (double-stuff are the best), but I don't typically go for the other flavors. But THESE looked too good to not at least TRY.

That's when they fell in my cart...

Random thought: People in the middle of the country call shopping carts "buggies". It still makes me giggle to hear someone say buggy.

Oh, and yup, we're STILL WAITING for Dixie to deliver her calf.

PS: Yes, the Strawberry Oreos are good! A little sweet, but oh so yummy!

Fun Farm Stuff

I'm told that there are lots of kids who read my blog with their Mom for the updates on the farm animals. I think that's so COOL! Sending a BIG HELLO to each one of you! Thank you for reading my blog, and sending me comments and emails! I love hearing from you!

Just for you here's a photo I took yesterday of Lollie, our bunny. When he got old enough, Lollie got to move outside to live with two of our little chickens, in a big fenced-in (even over the top) area where they are protected from danger.

Instead of having to live in a little rabbit hutch, Lollie gets to run around in their big fenced-in yard, burrow and eat hay and enjoy being a bunny day and night. Instead of having a Kleenex Box for his house like he did when he was a baby, now he shares a little dog house with I'Lean (our one-legged chicken) and Peeper (our smallest chicken). He is a very happy bunny!

Here are some other blog posts about Lollie, in case you missed them:

She's so tiny! (before we knew Lollie was a he...)
Finally, a name!
Busy Bunny
Little Lollie *blush*

I also thought I'd share a couple of things that you might find fun! These aren't animals on our farm, but they're fun to see anyway!

There's a website hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln called 4-H Egg Cam that shows baby ducks in their "crib". The ducks nap a lot, but sometimes you can see them eating or drinking or practicing their quack (but you won't be able to hear them on the computer).

And here's a fun site! It's called The Hen Cam! You can see these chickens (who also live with a bunny!) in their chicken yard, and house. Check in on them now and then. They're fun!

PS: Still no baby cows...

Mister Farley

Here's a photo of Mister Farley, taken earlier today. Just because.
He'd been running around in the yard. The slobber kind of gives that away...

Still no baby cows... =)

I'm too Sexy...or am I?

Well... if you can believe it, Dixie STILL hasn't delivered. Crazy cow... I think at this point, she's milking (haha!) us for treats and attention. If she only knew what a spread she's getting on the blog! I snapped this photo today while Alan and I were out at the barn yard.

We keep waiting to see some signs of actual labor (change in breathing, etc) but nothing yet. The ooze we've been seeing can appear for weeks prior to delivery (we've seen it off and on now for two weeks). So, we wait. She's such a tease...

Progress!

Saturday, April 19 10:15pm
Dixie is showing signs of delivering soon! Her udder is beyond big...it's GIANT! It is noticeably larger than it was this morning. Seriously. HUGE. There's lots o' "goop" in strategically *censored* places. She's uncomfortable... licking her sides, rubbing her head on the nearby chute, standing at the hay bale but not eating. I'll be checking on her hourly with camera in hand, and will be updating this post as the night progresses. Stay tuned!

And by the way, tonight's a 100% full moon phase if you're curious about these kinds of things.

Sunday, April 20 12:20am
Dixie's spending time in the barn now, showing similar signs as earlier. In January 2007 when Dixie gave birth to Chick, she was in the barn.

She likes laying in the barn, so I'd putting my money on another barn delivery.
But I'm not a betting girl...

Sunday, April 20 2:35am
In the barn, out of the barn, in, out. No noticeable change in progress.

I have taken some less than flattering photos of poor ol' Dixie tonight. You'll notice the precision cropping I've done on this one, just for you.

*you're welcome!*

Sunday, April 20 4:15am
Alan goes out to see Dixie. No baby. Anna catchin' some Zzzzz's.

Sunday, April 20 7:00am
Alan says Dixie is a "watched pot". It's true. Dixie kept us up, ALL night.... and nothing. No babies. Just a whole lotta oooze. And big nipples. *hahaha!*

Sigh...

We'll keep ya posted!

we're still waiting...

Dixie STILL hasn't had her calf. She's teasing us! I think she's waiting for the full moon...

All these days and nights thinking about baby cows is to blame for this card.

I'm being EXTRA hopeful that when Dixie finally does have her calf that it's a little heifer, and not a bull calf. If she has a bull calf, he'll eventually (once he's old enough) be sold to another small farm looking for a bull for breeding. But if she has a little heifer, she'll get to stay here with us and be part of our herd! That is our hope. Until Dixie decides to buckle down and have the baby, all we can do is cross our fingers.

The images on this card are all by Amuse. I stamped them in black StazOn ink and painted them with a water brush and Stampin' Up reinkers. I added little blossoms to the tree with various pink Copic markers.

Hurry, Dixie.... HURRY!

Texas Bluebonnet

The wildflower display around here this year is fairly dismal. Nothing like it was last year.

Ah well... what few flowers we do have are pretty, regardless of the limited number of them.

This pretty little (and I stress LITTLE) bluebonnet is growing near our garage. The afternoon sun was shining on it, making it ever so blue. We need a bit of rain, and maybe the wildflower crop will get better.

In other news, today I am the featured blog on the Typepad blog! They wrote a nice little blurb about my site. Thanks Typepad!

Cuckoo.....

Life has been extra busy for us the past couple of weeks. Farm activities have kept us busy, and the "day job" has been exceptionally busy for both of us.

We're STILL waiting for Dixie to have her baby. It would seem that we started noticing the early signs of delivery EARLY this year! Or maybe she just started showing the signs earlier than she did last year. Who knows. Either way, we're still waiting... She's a happy, FAT, cow with a full udder.

I made this card a while ago, and since we've been so busy and I haven't had time to make anything new, I thought I'd share this card today. I feel like I'm a bit cuckoo lately, so it's kind of timely. The images and cardstock are all by Amuse.

Hope you have a grand day! ...mine promises to be busy, busy, busy...

Introducing Happy Birthday!

I am so VERY excited! Today is the official release of my new unmounted set from Whipper Snapper called Happy Birthday.

I have had fun with this set, but really can't wait to see what the Whipper Snapper Featured Designers have created! That's the best part of any release for me!

Happy Birthday is the fifth set in the collection, along with Posies for You, Spring has Sprung, BoPeep's Sheep, and Bundle of Joy. The 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.

When your new set arrives, 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'!

Be sure to check out the March/April Whipper Snapper Featured Designer projects!

Meg Shumaker's online gallery

Shellie Daniel's online gallery

Michele Boyer's  online gallery and blog Paper Cuts

Valerie Stangle's online gallery and blog Creating Paper Sunshine

Yvette Ashe's online gallery

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!

Sunday night, already!?

Jeez... where did the weekend go!?

It got away from me, that's for sure!

1. No baby cows.
2. No baby donkeys.
3. No flower photos...
4. No stamping. Ugh.
5. Sick baby goat (he'll be ok!)
6. New fence (almost done!)
7. New chicken ladder in the barn (it's where they roost at night).
8. New groceries in the cupboards!
9. Sunburn (see number 6.)
10. Scattered wildflower seeds.
11. Yard work, yard work, yard work...
12. Need some Zzzz's.

Whipper Snapper Sneak Peek...

I've been begged for a sneak peek of the upcoming new unmounted Whipper Snapper set scheduled for release on April 15th. I am such a softy!

April's set is a birthday theme, and I've been having a BALL with it! This card was created using various images from the set.

I pulled out some fresh colors, fine glitter for LOTS of sparkle, and added some down and dirty fast and easy sewing to make this little 3.5"x5" note card. I'm excited for the release. I can't WAIT to see what all of the brilliant Whipper Snapper Featured Designers have been up to!

BIG BIRTHDAY WISHES to my friend ABBY! Abby is 10 years old today. I hope you have a fabulous day with your family and friends!

And, today is Ribeye's 1st birthday! He was born here on the farm on this day last year. His mama is Princess, and she's one of our four cows due to have another baby within the next month or so. Yippee!

Now, if we could just get Dixie to deliver, we'd feel like we were getting somewhere! Maybe this weekend.....let's hope!

Inspired by Polka Dots and more...

The lovely and wickedly talented Becky Rusher inspired the colors, shabbiness, and hemp twine I used on this card. She posted a wonderful card on her blog on Wednesday that was a fantastic little shabby chic design. It made me oooooh and ahhhhhh! Thanks for the inspiration, Becky!

For my card, I chose to use this fatty of an owl by High Hopes Rubber Stamps. The flower stamped on the designer paper in the background is also from High Hopes. I liked the polka dot paper as it was, but I like it even better with the subtle flowers stamped in Creamy Caramel ink.

I stamped the owl in black StazOn ink and painted it with a water brush and Stampin' Up reinkers. I added a little more "shabbiness" to the designer paper by inking it up a bit with a couple of different greens and Creamy Caramel ink.

Two owl cards in a row..... hooooo knew!
*giggle*

PS: Still no baby cows.....

Hoo loves you...

I do! I do!

I almost let the morning get past me before posting this card! I created this the other night while I had a bit of down time.

This cute little owl image (and sentiment) is one of the newer Amuse stamps I added to my stash. Cute little critters!

I stamped the image in black StazOn ink and watercolored it with Stampin Up reinkers. I roughed up the edges with my scissors, matted it on black cardstock (also roughed up), and adhered it to a delish Memory Box note card.

This card is certainly one for the Easy Peasy file!

Hope you're having a dandy Wednesday! We're STILL waiting on Dixie's baby! *sigh*

Taking Time...

Everything around here is taking it's own SWEET time this spring. The wildflowers are just starting to show their faces in a few spots around here. This same time last year the fields were FULL of color, every where you looked! Hopefully we get some rain this week to help them along.

I need to get out and take photos of the few flowers I have seen around. Until I get around to that, I took this one in the yard yesterday. (...or was it Sunday?) Anyway, I had these in my yard when I lived in Oregon, but I did't know what they were. Alan called them a "Live Forever". They sure are pretty.... and very delicate.

Another thing taking it's own SWEET time is DIXIE! That silly cow is just STUBBORN when it comes to delivering her baby! Good grief... you'd think she'd hurry it up! I did check on her a bit ago, and she's got a little "sign" (you know what that means, Kerry!) of delivery happening soon, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll keep ya posted!

OH, and if you're wondering where all the CARDS are lately, I'll have one for you in the morning. I've been busy, not only with farm life, but with SECRET Whipper Snapper stamping too! It's almost time for another unmounted set release you know! *yahoooo!*

Happy Birthday, Mister Farley!

Today is Mister Farley's 8th birthday! We're celebrating with homemade doggy treats for all the dogs, a walk with Daisy, and of course with naps as needed (which will be often).

Birthday: April 8, 2000
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Golden - like good honey
A few of Mister Farley's favorite things:
1. Miss Daisy
2. The hedgehog (a squeaky toy)
3. Napping on the couch, or the big chair
4. Coooooookies
5. Every friend he's ever met ... or hasn't met yet
6. Running! Mister Farley LOVES to chase Daisy!
7. Head rubs
8. The brush... yup, that's the spot right there!
9. Presents! Wrapped in tissue, they're just right for rippin' open!
10. More coooooookies!

More about Mister Farley here.

PS: Dixie still hasn't delivered... We wait.

Two Fat Cows

Dixie. Still pregnant. And that's Queenie in the background....also pregnant.

The Goats have Names!

I finally decided on names for the goats! Thank you for ALL of the suggestions! It was a difficult decision, but I settled on Boxcar Betty and Boxcar Willie.

Boxcar Betty is a fictional character, and according to Wikipedia "Her name itself has become synonymous with rollicking, rough and tumble adventure." Sounds like a good goat name to me! Her favorite place to be is on top of the food bin. That's pretty adventurous if you ask me! We'll call her Betty for short.

Boxcar Willie was known for his "hobo music". He was born in Ovilla, Texas, which is not far from here. This little goat loves to chatter (goat chatter, of course), so this seemed like a fitting name for him. And it goes with Boxcar Betty! We'll call him Willie for short.

Maybe they'll have boxcar babies, and we'll name them after train cars. Ha! Or maybe not..... =)

PS: Still no calf yet. We wait...

Yummy Sundae!

Since I don't have any new CALF photos to share with you yet (Dixie STILL hasn't had her baby...), I thought I'd share this yummy sundae card with you!

I made this using my own Tall Sundae stamp. Oh look....another layout I'm addicted to!

I chose to use this diamond patterned designer paper. It's a Foofala print, and I've had it for a couple of years at least! I like how it kind of looks retro matched with the sundae image.

The image was stamped in black StazOn ink and painted with a water brush and Stampin' Up reinkers.

I used my Janome Sew Mini to do the stitching around the edges. That little machine was a great investment! Love it!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Maybe I'll have baby photos I can share with you tomorrow...

UGH....

This picture of Dixie that I took this morning says it all... get BUSY, Dixie!

I checked on her at 1:45am. No baby.

I checked on her at 4:45am. No baby.

8:45am..... no baby.

Her udder's ready, though!

BIG brown cow!

it's almost time!

Dixie still wasn't showing real good signs of calving this morning, so we put her out in the pasture with all the other expecting cows thinking it was going to be another day or so. She spent the day eating grass and napping in the sunshine (things she does every day).

Wouldn't you know it, this afternoon she finally let us know that she was getting serious about delivering. So, we separated her from the other cows again. She's got part of the barn to herself with a nice bed of fresh straw, and an entire barn yard that she only has to share with the chickens as they wander around the farm during the day.

Alan and I went out to the barn tonight at 10:45 to lock up the chickens and check on Dixie. She's got good signs that she'll be calving soon! Finally! Maybe by morning we'll have a new calf on the farm!

Cross your fingers (and TOES) that it's a girl! Alan's been having talks with all the cows letting them know that it would be BEST if they all had little heifers. Let's see if Dixie listened..... stay tuned! I'm charging up the camera batteries!

Oh, and the goat names are still pending ... thanks for all of your wonderful suggestions! They're being added to the list, and we'll make a decision soon! We've GOT to! We've got a lot of critters making entrance at the farm this month!

Welcome Babies....

Sooooo. Dixie the cow hasn't had her baby and the other cows aren't showing "close" signs yet either, but we do have some babies on the farm!

I've always wanted a goat (or two), and Alan's parents wanted to surprise me with babies for my birthday in October last fall. Trouble is, there weren't any babies around at the time.

We've been looking off and on, but haven't had much luck. A few days ago, Alan saw an ad at the farm store for two baby pygmy goats who are both about 6 weeks old (born Valentine's day). Last night we drove to see them ... and well, what do you know... they came home with us!

The woman we got them from has all kinds of critters at her place, all adopted from various animal rescue groups. She is a very nice lady with a big heart and a nice little 5 acre farm.  These two goats (who are not related, by they way) both had siblings who were adopted by another family earlier this week.

The black/white goat is a female. She is quite shy... The cream colored goat is a little male. I can't believe that at only 6 weeks old, just how long his horns are already! Jeepers!

I haven't settled on names yet... in fact, I'm open to suggestions! Oh, and by the way, there are a couple more photos in the Farm Animal photo gallery.

Happy Friday!

fish were jumpin'

There's a spot on a river (they call THAT a river?!) near here that seems to be a popular fishing spot for the locals.

Occasionally, people will put in small boats like canoes, kayaks, and even belly boats (fancy innertubes used for fishing).

While the fishing there might be OK, it's not a place I would want to linger around for too long (to fish, or otherwise). And I certainly wouldn't want to eat anything that once lived in the water there.

I was thinking about that spot the other day after I read an email from my Dad (hi Dad!) that talked about the local fishing spots up north in Washington where he and Mom live. THAT's a place for fishing! Beautiful blue water, clear water, pristine water...and FISH! 

With fishing on the brain, along with thoughts of the local mud hole, this card came to be. Stamps (Booker, Pole, and one Wellie) from Rosie's Roadshow. I drew the pond. I even added glitter to the water for lots of shimmer and shine!

Rosie's Roadshow = Pure joy.

Vase of Roses

I've been a busy, busy girl lately but I took some time out to stamp!

I'm wondering .... is it possible to be addicted to a layout? If so, I think I am. Well, ok ... to several layouts! I need to shake things up a bit next time I put ink to paper. Maybe I'll challenge myself, and YOU, with a new layout! Stay tuned!

For this card, I used my own Vase of Roses stamp. I drew this image with Valentine's Day in mind, but it could easily be used for birthday, friendship, wedding, and maybe even sympathy. Pink roses, yellow roses, white roses... peach would be pretty too!

I stamped the image with black StazOn ink and painted it with a water brush and Stampin' Up reinkers. The scalloped layer is adhered to the card base with foam adhesive for a little bit of dimension.

Farm animal update:
Alan and I separated Dixie from all the other cows today. It's lookin' like her calf may decide to enter the real world soon! We'll keep her in the barn yard alone so we can keep a close eye on her, and she can have a portion of the barn to herself until the baby is strong enough to get around pretty well. Then we'll move Dixie and her calf back into the pasture with the other cows, and repeat the process with Princess, Queenie, and Pixie as each of them get ready to deliver. Pretty exciting having so many babies on the way!

The donkeys and the bulls are busy eating grass and enjoying spring in another pasture. I think they're jealous that the prego-cows get more alfalfa cubes than they do... they bawl at the fence. Poor, mistreated (fat) critters!

a little sunshine

This is another card I made last night while I was tinkering around when I should have been sleeping.

The little 4x4 Amuse note cards were out, the lawn mower was out, and the markers were out. All I had to do was dig out the perfect sentiment!

Easy Peasy.

Sweet dreams...

Love is for the Birds

I had some trouble getting to sleep last night, so I got up and tinkered around in my stamp area for a while.

I put away markers and brushes and stamps that have been pulled out recently, and continued to take up residence on my table.

One of the stamps that was on my table waiting to be inked was my Birds on a Wire stamp. This was one of my January release images with Whipper Snapper. I thought it was a good match for this cute sentiment from Amuse. I stamped the image in black StazOn ink and colored it with Copic markers.

This was such as easy card to make, I thought I'd doodle on the envelope as well!

After a couple of hours in my room, I was ready for bed. Sort of.

Oh, and speaking of birds and love, check out THIS PHOTO I posted in my farm animal gallery yesterday.....*giggle*