t-shirt yarn!!!

whoda' guessed!?!

55 yards of beautiful blue t-shirt yarn created from an XXL old shirt! one continous cut, no breaks, ties or seams! perfect for knitting, crocheting or weaving! be certain i will have many balls of this for sale at my next outing ~ dallas center's art in the park on saturday june 5th!

queen elizabeth...

what more can i say...but ... she is beautiful! the girls named her 'queen elizabeth' becuase she is the queen bee of the coop! the chicks are already 5 weeks old and growing very quickly! it has been fun watching them change & feather. no wonder they eat so much...they grow in an afternoon! their little bodies are constantly changing!

on the farm...

i just realized i have not formally introduced you to 'ralphie'. he has been with us for almost a week now. bottle fed, and spoiled! i had a red/white face calf as a young girl - named, ralph. so i am bit partial to this little guy!

he is a good boy, and gets along well with the other 2 bottle calves!

and the chicks? well, they are growing FAST!!! they have moved into 'hen haven' now and just think they are hot stuff! i love them! i love sitting on my bench and watching them. they are entertaining little devils that is for sure!

farm life....nothing compares!

make, make, make --- sell, sell, sell

busy weekend ahead! i've been at the sewing machine working with my felted wool sweaters! and love some of the new designs i've come up with! i am vending on may 1st at the living room coffeehouse in valley junction! great group of people, awesome place (i know i will get a fantastic lunch!!) and sunday may 2nd at prairieland herbs in woodward. another group of folks that just seem like family to me! my life is blessed with many positive influences...people who encourage eachother to be themselves....it really does not get any better than that!

these are my new 'recycled' cards! they feature homemade paper that is embedded with flower seeds! yeppers, you can plant the card! i decorate them with upcycled greeting cards from my overflowing stash! cards are just to pretty to throw away, they are a gift in themselves...now i've found a pretty awesome purpose for them ~ a new life! and then back to the earth they go!

as far as the farm goes.... the calves are doing wonderful! the chickens are growing. and my 13 year old daughter has her first official boyfriend. oh my.....

WOW! it's been awhile!

blogger...i've missed you! been busy around the farm and honestly have not been inside much!

amanda and i tried our hands at wild violet jelly! beautiful, sweet, delicious and a great mother/daughter project ta-boot! we cannot wait to try it out on our morning toast! the recipe can be found on my friend maggie howe's 'prairieland herb' blog...link to the right! this week we will be trying the dandelion jelly also! finally a good use for those little guys!

the chickens are officially in the coop! after much decision and talking with friends we decided it was time. and the girls are so much happier....and that makes me happier! they are growing and changing into their adolecent stage ~ gauky!

we also welcomed a new baby onto the farm. a red-white face calf! named him 'ralphie'. i had a red-white calf as a young girl...i loved ralph so much. i'll never forget the day we had to sell him. but in my heart he still lives in a beautiful green pasture with his bib-overall'ed master! so ralphie jr. holds a special spot in my heart. and at 40 'somethin' i will probably cry the day we sell him too! isn't it crazy how we attach ourselves to animals...even those birds of mine that live in 'hen haven' are wonderful to me.

i have 2 shows to prepare for this coming weekend. perhaps i will see you at the living room coffeehouse on saturday the 24th or prairieland herbs on sunday the 25th? i'm praying for rain to keep me indoors to sew at the machine! we'll see....

homemade paper for 'recycks'

OK - i love this picture! i have been saving shredded junk mail to make homemade paper with! and decided it was too windy outside this afternoon so came in and 'played'! i have been offered the honor by 'prairieland herbs' to teach a class in the fall on making homemade paper! so thought i had better start working on freshening up my skills! or lack of!!! i had so much fun i think i may add some items to my 'recycks' line with paper! it is incrediably cool....

i have so many little found objects to add to the paper for embellishments including flower seeds. what a great concept...plant your note! then when the flowers bloom you will once again remember that special someone who took the time to send you a handwritten note...remember those??? :) watch for the announcement for the class...then say a little prayer for me! a new adventure...but with friends so nervous i am NOT!

springtime on the farm...

it was a wonderful day on the farm today! i got amanda early from school and we went to the local feed supply store and came home with 9 totally adorable baby chicks! hopefully all pullets! so hen haven is offically occupied by actual chickens...not just the ceramic one that sits on the work bench! honestly, amanda was holding one and i looked at her and said, "mom is so happy i think she could cry!" i have waited and longed for chickens for so long now i am still in shock we actually own them now!

life is great!

then brad phones....

"i'm at the sale barn.....i just bought 2 baby calves....each one week old, their mama's would/could not feed them....are you up for bottle calves? well, i guess so! bring it on! we actually had been talking about this for quite some time. each of our daughters used some of their savings money, each bought a calf and are hoping to earn some college funds! hey, it gets them out of bed in the morning to do chores if they actually own them!!! well, we have a boy and a girl...both so darn sweet...125 pounds of total cuteness! they already follow melanie and amanda around and LOVE their bottles!

so life on the farm is wonderful...

the promise of spring has arrived...

the chicken house is not vacant...

the hard work of fencing is worth it for the calves...

new friendships are made...

and once again brad and i are so proud that our girls have such a strong sense of animal appreciation!

a good days work i think!