Baby Chicks!

From the left is Stoney (our Welsummer), Marley (our Black Australorp), and Mooney (our Cuckoo Maran)

 

After only a week of having the chickens, I decided to call the feed store to see when they were getting chicks. They said they had just got them in. So, within 2 days we were off to pick out our chicks and get our supplies. We got them at 3 days old and they are now 9 days. The growth rate is amazing! There are visible changes every day. We love these little guys. 

 We have been doing a lot of experimentation. The staff at the feed store told us to use pellets as their bedding, but we found that they were pecking at them. So I switched around some feeders and they were doing pretty well with those this first week. However, Daniel and I were reading not to use pellets alone. So we eventually switched to newspaper and then paper towels, which work great for absorption, cleanup, and the chicks' grip. Eventually we will use shavings.

They love to cuddle together! Mooney starts chirping super loudly if any of it's buddies are being held by one of us: "Hey, where is my friend!?" Actually, Lukey's theory is that Mooney will be a rooster. Probably true, because Mooney is kind of a spazzy loud one. The reason the boys picked this one out was because it was the prettiest, also perhaps a sign of a cockerel. We will find out within a couple weeks, I guess. 

 Stoney in the middle is Jared's baby. We are assuming she will be a hen. She is seemingly wise and all-knowing. She is also the biggest chick of the 3. Marley, on the left, is Lukey's bird. She was named after Bob Marley because she is the mellow, peaceful one.

 

You can tell they are a few days older here and there feathers are noticeably growing, as well as their bodies.  

 After a week, we changed to a different feeder and the paper towel bedding.

 Nighty night, babies.

Look at those tails! It's so much fun watching them develop and flourish. I can 't wait til they become layers, because Stoney and Mooney (that is if she isn't a he), will be giving us chocolate colored eggs! So awesome!

Have a great day everyone. 

Peep, Peep!!

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Happy Birthday, Dylan

My youngest boy turned 4 years old on the spring equinox this year. In fact, the actual time of the equinox and the moment he was born were only about 2 hours from one another this year. Sorry it has taken me so long to post...we get busy! I was going to go with a dinosaur theme, but I thought that would be too hard when making all of my decorations. So, I went with a mod, masculine spring flower theme, developed from scrapbook paper I have had for years.

On our mantle we have spring scene pictures, complementary flowers to the adjacent wall that I began the motif in the first place, and a matching flag banner. 

I have included some complimentary books and fabric on the mantle, as well, to tie the colors together.

This was the main wall art I created. It ended up being 5 feet across. I love how it turned out!! It almost looks like a purchased wall decal. 

Thereafter, I matched Dylan's cake to the theme...My goodness, those food coloring pens were a pain this year!

 Dylan's birthday ring, with some painted inspiration rocks, and a center candle that Jared made.

The morning of his birthday, I made a short stack of pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup. 

The birthday ring characters come alive....

Birthday cupcake decoration. Wow, that one was messy. 

 Make a Wish.......

His actual birthday was a school day, where they too celebrated his 4th birthday, so we kept it simple. However, I read him a birthday verse the night before and some on the day of. So, we made it special. The excitement happened 4 days later, when a few guests came to join the celebration. 

 Here, I made bags from garden fabric in my stash, and stuffed them with healthy treats and spring-inspired goodies.

Here they are, stuffed.

Presents.

Ooooh, Grandma's present was so exploratory right off the bat. 

 Just a little apron that Mama made......well, I painted it anyway.

This was the whopper. This time consuming creation turned out superb!! He loves it!! I made a road map from old green corduroy, blue corduroy, and dark wool felt. I hand sewed all of the streets and bodies of water. The blue fleece backing was machine-stitched, though. It even doubles as a cozy lap blanket. :)

Here is Dylan in action.

I did a vegetarian thing. Appetizers were homemade hummus and crackers/chips and a veggie dish my Mom brought, along with homemade soda (juice and sparkling water). The lunch was this fantastic tortellini salad I made and a green salad from Daniel's mom. Everything turned out perfect!

 Ah, yes, the kids. They had a total blast!

Everyone painted their pots for planting their own seeds.

 The girls stand back as the boys tackle the biggest boy.... ;)

 Make a birthday party wish......

Oh, by the way, this was a monster canvas he received from our friends and he painted it quite well, if you ask me. Teehee!

Happy Birthday, Dylan. Welcome to a new year of life!

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A Visit From Lucy

My girlfriend came to visit nearly 2 months ago to allow me to meet her new daughter, Lucy, who was 8 weeks old at the time. Lucy was so beautiful and engaging. Her mom was really pleased that she slept so seamlessly both in the car on the ride up and all night long when they stayed over. I wanted to share a couple shots with you all.

From the moment they arrived, my little ones were absolutely intrigued by little Lucy. 

Lucy with Mommy.

A shot of the boys and Lucy was truly difficult with the low lighting of my house, my refusal to use the flash so as not to blind the baby :), and the fact that they all could not stop moving. This one turned out pretty good, considering. 

Fixing her gaze upon high contrast.

 This was another blurry shot as Mom was putting on her wrap, but I just love the look on her face.

 I am shown holding her as she stares up at the bright blue sky and the gnarly silhouette of oak branches.

Here are a couple of clear shots with the littles holding her. Clear shots....not from my camera, of course.  

Wow, somehow Mommy looks like a proud Jedi in this photo. Hahaha!

I hope to have more of these visits as she grows older. What a delight to have them over. I am truly grateful for moments like these.

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Autumn Leaves

You have all heard of the cliche of making piles of leaves and jumping in them, or perhaps you have read children's books with portrayals of raking Autumn leaves and playing in them. Well, unfortunately, growing up in my suburban neighborhood made this annual ideal a mere fantasy. However, living in the mountains has offered our family several natural opportunities, such as Autumn leaf play, familiar to the children of yesteryear. We have so many trees, and thus leaves on the ground, that it doesn't take much raking to create huge piles for playing with and burying little children. We quite enjoyed this day. Plus, the boys even buried Mommy, which was warm, cozy, and just plain delightful to be one with nature.

These are merely but a glimpse of our leaf-play, but I thought I would share anyway. I really enjoyed their natural exploration and ultimate joy. What a good day!

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Japanese Quilted Decor For a Special Lady

I was so excited about creating these quilted wall decorations for Daniel's mom as a birthday gift. She has been infatuated with Japanese culture far longer than I have known her, collecting silky kimonos, fanciful obis, gorgeous tansus and other antique furniture, assorted decor, and making kimekomi dolls, among several other additions to bringing the culture into her home. I was pleased to see her appreciation, as she opened her gift.

These ended up measuring about 9.5 x 11" and they are intended to be hung from bamboo, which she has plenty of. I truly know very little about Japanese design, but I kept playing with fabric and different asymmetrical ideas. I came up with this, starting with a piece of large patterned fabric somehow hiding in my stash, and to me, it looks pretty darn Japanese. :) This project was not only interesting because I was learning a bit about design along the way, but I also had fun practicing a couple new free motion quilting patterns.

Jared and Dylan made cards for her using what we have, and I wrapped her gifts in tissue paper and an inside-out paper bag. I finished it off with raffia ribbon, and I made a little attached card with matching fabric. It all turned out so lovely.

Daniel tells me I should make wall hangings similar to these and sell them on Etsy. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with life right now and I feel I am too amateur at this point to feel comfortable selling pieces such as these. For now, I will practice and make gifts.

Have a great remainder of your week!

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