a little country wisdom...

"When you feel you're going too slow, slow down a little more". ~ Brian

No goat babies yet, but life is moving along just as it should....

an update and an award

As for Big Mama, no babies yet! Big Mama is one of the goats we board for a friend of ours here on the farm, and he assures us that she can go at anytime. I feel for her, she looks so uncomfortable! And just a note, this birthin' goats is all new to me. We have had many animals over the past ten years {pigs, turkeys, goats, chickens...you name it} but I haven't ever seen a birth. I didn't even know our Miss Piggy was going to have a litter until I found her and all the babes in the wood shop one cool Spring morning, boy was that a shocker, but how adorable! So, I'm keeping a close eye on her and I will keep you updated.

I just wanted to share the blog award I was given by Shelly, at Paper Mischief....you will have to go check out her art work, it's fabulous! Shelly said I should nominate 8 others. Wow, that's a tough one! So many fella artists that inspire me on a daily basis...I pick everyone from my side bar! Shelly, forgive me I can't choose just eight, it's too hard! Right click on the award and save it...then post it on your blog, you deserve it.

Speaking of art, my brochure is complete and I hit the deadline, woohoo! I will share pictures sometime next week.

Look, Spot is all ready to go outside....bbbrrrr it's cold!

See what happens when the boys are home for vacation!

Expecting A Winner...or make a guess on her due date and win free soap!

Some pictures need no words.......just a date. I thought this would be a good time to have a little give-away fun!
Just guess BIG Mamma's due date {leave it in the comments} and win 3 free bars of soap.
hint: It could be any time.
Keep checking back, I will be sure to keep everyone up to date!

Little Mamma

Sweet Mamma

Also known as Nosey Mama!
p.s. Think I should give a tutorial on how to give your blog a new look every other day? he he

just part of it

I have a self imposed deadline, well okay a Brian imposed deadline. "We have but three days to make it to that treasure or it will be under the water" {O Brother Where Art Thou}, now I'm quoting movies....
Three days to make a new brochure, because the other one I made was swallowed up my the laptop as it took a nose dive, so I thought I would share my process this time, which always includes some sort of procrastination....... which is just part of it and I love every minute of it!
Artist's checklist:
Excitement over flood of ideas {check}
Anxiety over flood of ideas {check}
Self Negative Talk but recover nicely {check}...this one has taken years of practice, I assure you.
Papers, glue, paint all over the place {check}
New Idea...Take a picture of self in antique mirror, it makes me look younger
oh yeah.....

back to work



love making art!!
The video above via Andrea's blog is great. I have listened 500 times now to that sweet little song.

Treasures I made long ago I found in my mother's house, on this last trip back to Florida. This piece hung on the wall with ribbon. I hesitate to say I almost didn't recognize it, but that is just because it has been so long since I have taken that much time to create what is truely in my heart. Something about it just called to me, as if something was whispering for me to come back...come back and follow your dreams.

The quote below is by Wendell Berry, it just seems to fit where I am at right now...funny how that happens.

"When we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work

and when we no longer know which way to go we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings."

Monday Mosaic and other goodies to share

I'm having too much fun changing the colors of this blog every other day, but I blame it all on the Palette Generator from Big Huge Labs. The same people that brought us the Mosaic Maker {i love that}. If you haven't tried either one, you should but fair warning, it's addictive.
With the Palette Generator you upload a favorite photo from anywhere and it generates a color palette for you{with the code}...the possibilities are endless!
And every color swatch has the coolest name like nomad, bison hide, twilight, parchment, pearl {well you get the idea}. I finally decided on nomad, I think.
Okay maybe I'm having a bit too much fun with this, but who can blame me, anything to get out of doing laundry.

Oh, here's another goodie I want to share with you. This award was sent to me by Selia!
Selia, over at Down the Rabbit Hole has been sweet enough to give me the the Marie Antoinette award of Inspiration! What a sweetheart. I am supposed to nominate 7 other people to recive the award but there's one problem.....I don't think I can pick only 7.

So I will do what Selia did and nominate all my blog friends, to the right in the sidebar. Thanks again Selia. Be sure to stop by and check out her site, incredibly inspiring!!!

Speaking of intersting things I thought I would start the week offby sharing a mosaic of my favorite Flickr pictures.......for inspiration you know. Try making your own mosaic with the Mosaic Maker and share the link with me I would love to see your favorites!
Here are mine:

1. Make New Friends..., 2. handmade collage cards for a bridal shower, 3. altered art ?, 4. Visit to Hannah's Treasures, 5. Winter day, 6. Christmas Collage I made, 7. angel necklace, 8. art quilt, 9. Prayer for Ghosts, 10. pearly queen poetry cuff, 11. tattered pink cuff, 12. Corner of my kitchen ... junk style..., 13. IM003580, 14. Birdhouse topiaryies on Screen window, 15. Halloween box, 16. Antique Dresser stripped then rubbed/painted blue

Come take a walk with me

There is still so much to share about my trip but first take a minute and join me for a cup of tea in the Secret Garden. It is such a peaceful respite, birds singing overhead in the old ear tree and vibrant colored blossom are peaking up over the old wood fence. The pond is brimming with the fatest goldfish I have ever seen and there are treasures from yesteryear hanging in the tree branches. Tiniest of memories tucked away everywhere.

This was my first home after Brian and I were married and I can tell you for a fact it didn't look this enchanting 17 years ago......my mother-in-law Maggie has quite a green thumb and wild imagination. I just love her to pieces. There was even a fairy garden hidden under a few low lying succulants.

After stopping by Maggie's cottage we went to my mom's house where she treated me to new fabric from her HUGE collection. She was busy finishing a baby quilt for a friend. I took pictures of her other needle and thread goods for her and added them to her Etsy shop. Be sure to check it out! What patience this woman has {with anything}, I might have been an only child, that was quiet and shy, but I made up for that in my teen years..... I was quite a handful!!

Love you mom~*

I would do anything for these two women, they are the strongest women I have ever known and now that I am a grandma {still not used to that} will I ever be able to live up to their example? Oh I hope so.

On another note, I have managed to finally start slowly restocking my Etsy Shop with new soap and hopefully other new goodies to follow real soon. I'm thinking lip balm and lotion for starters...we will see how it goes.

Warm wishes to you my friends and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

fragile moments

This is where our journey to Florida begins....


Once upon a time there was a little girl who was taken from our hearts, from our family and a huge void was left. As the years went by we prayed for her, not knowing her circumstances or the enviornment that she was raised in, but by God's grace He kept her safe. This little girl was my step-daughter and it's been many long years in the making but God has been faithful and saw fit to bring her back to us again. She is a grown woman now with two babies of her own and how precious they all are.



This Thanksgiving trip there was much to be grateful for, we have come full circle and our family feels complete.......there is no better feeling in the world.


When I arrived home my email was filled with warm welcomes and the mailbox outside held a very special letter inside, with a beautiful gift from my dear friend Madai. Everyone's sweet words and thoughts have touched my heart deeply and it seemed to be exactly what I needed after a journey such as this.



I hadn't shared with any of you the emotional rollercoaster I had been on until today, but somehow you seem to know that I needed that extra bit of love sent my way. Thank you friends, I wouldn't trade you for the world.

Hebrews 13:2 KJV "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Home is Where the Heart is

The best part of a vacation is returning home.
We were met with light flurries as we drove through town on our last ten miles Sunday morning, it was beautiful. The cold brisk air was so welcoming and the next morning we awoke to a blanket of white powder covering our little homestead.
I plan on sharing all about our trip to Florida, but for now I'm just getting back into the groove, sipping on cocoa and playing catch up, which includes a few baskets of laundry to be washed and grocery shopping.
I hope everyone had a great holiday...........it's good to be back!