spring deer...

little spring deer

i have had this little deer about 90% finished for the past two weeks. i thought it would take a few days to finish up and get in the shop... then my son got sick, then i got sick, then my daughter got sick. oh well, such is life. it is finished now and in the shop, and i'm really happy with how he came out.

he makes a nice pair with the doe already in the shop too! hopefully i will have a chance to make a cake topper that is similar to these too.

snowballs in spring...

the snowball viburnum is just starting to bloom around here. i think it is my absolute favorite spring flowers and one of my favorite things about the south. i finally bought myself one for the front yard... though it will be years before it is like this. this is one of the lovely sights on my daily walk through the park, taken with my phone. here are a few others.

today, instead of my usual walk i am taking it easy and enjoying laying down for a bit and feeling the baby squirm and kick... just as beautiful!

enjoy your weekend!!

etsy favorites...

1. whales- vintage educational chart illustration by arminho

2. gold feather pendant long necklace by redtruckdesigns

3. brown and cream wool soaker diaper cover by rebourne

4. little white horse by tangelostudio

5. vintage mother goose print toddler dress by cre8tive

6. easter eggs by katinytis

just a few little magical finds that are my favorite on etsy. when i was a child i was obsessed with whales. i checked out every book from our school library and knew the characteritics of all the different whales by heart. when i saw that chart it took me back to the feeling that pouring over those books gave me. the other items were inspired by some of those magical qualities of childhood.

busy weekend, not so busy weekend..

i'm sorry for the absence last week. my son came down with a nasty virus and then passed it on to me. no fun being sick when you are pregnant. i am feeling much better now and was able to enjoy a lovely, but very hot, weekend. the wisteria is starting to bloom, along with everything else here. though i must say, i think some of the flowers are feeling the effect of the heat. is it hot where you are? it is in the 80's here!

my son took his first overnight back packing trip this weekend. he went with a group of friends, my husband and his grandfather as well. i was sad to miss it but i don't think i am up to carrying all my gear for miles at this point! i can't believe how big he is getting! why does it go by so fast?! he is almost as tall as me now and weighs almost as much as i do (pre-pregnancy) and is only nine. i can remember so clearly carrying him around everyday in his little sling. he is still the same sweet boy though. i missed him this weekend!

it did give me a chance to have a girls weekend with my daughter! it was really nice to spend time with her alone before the baby comes. she is so fun to do things with and talk to. she asks the sweetest questions... "what inspires you mommy?", and "what is your passion?" it is easy to forget she is only six.

my mother-in-law was nice to suggest an outing on saturday and we visited the botanical garden, where everything is starting to bloom. they have planted tulips and daffodils all over, not to mention the orchid show that is going on. it was really lovely, and sid spent much time spinning in the grass until she fell down dizzy!

after we came home and ate, she asked to watch a movie in my bed (sense and sensibility) and to sleep there with me. the next day we spent outside cleaning up from winter and planting some seedlings. she was waiting anxiously for her brother to return. she hates being away from him for too long. after papa and bubba came back we went out to dinner and enjoyed being back together as a family again. it was one of those lovely busy, not so busy weekends.

garden pictures courtesy of my mother-in-law

not so easy sleeping these days

hot weather

starting to get ready for baby

made a new trellis for the bean plants

and hung some lanterns in the tree

we are up to seven eggs a day now!

dreams of flying...

flensted mobile

when my daughter was a baby and used to sleep in bed with us, we had one of these mobiles hanging on the slanted ceiling above. she loved laying and staring up at the twirling balloons. unfortunately, because the ceiling was slanted and low and we had a crazy three year old son at the time, the mobile did not last too long. somehow over the years it became one of those things i completely forgot about. just one pf those ephemeral moments of baby and toddler hood that get lost in the shuffle. last year though, while out with my mother and sister, i picked up a necklace for myself that had an image of a hot air balloon on it. when i came home and my daughter saw it she got so excited and told me she loves hot air balloons. i was surprised and asked her why? she told me that she often has magical dreams about flying in hot air balloons. this seemed like such a strange and wonderful thing to me, yet i still didn't remember the mobile. a little while after that though she came home from her favorite class, one that combines yoga and crafting (who wouldn't love that?!), with a  special project she had made. that month's theme had been hot air balloons and she was super excited because they got to pretend they were flying and then make their own paper mache versions. it was such a lovely thing and i decide to hang it up in her room to display it.

it wasn't until that instant, when i saw it hanging there, that i remembered the mobile. i guess those moments that seemed so ephemeral weren't so fleeting after all. we really do have the ability to instill in our children the dream of flying. maybe i need to buy another one to share with the new baby too....

in bloom...

so, it's nearly spring and things are in bloom all over the place here:) i have been quiet about this new little project i've been working on but now i am excited to share a bit. for those of you who have followed my blog you may know that i have a bit of a troubled history when it comes to pregnancy, so we were very surprised to find ourselves here again. surprised but very happy. so far everything is looking good. i have to be very careful with aps, which causes lots of complications. i am hoping that i can avoid preeclampsia this time, which caused me to have my last little girl at 33 weeks. maybe you can keep some good thoughts for me and this little one? we would much appreciate it as we take things one day at a time. for now i am just feeling so blessed.

bah bah, white sheep...

yay for spring! a new little sheep in the shop today! i lowered the orice slightly too, so you will get this little sheep plus shipping for what the sheep cost before. that's like free shipping! this little cutie is perfect for spring and easter. i love the little green polk dot ears. i will have some more new animals in the next few days also.

a chicken update...

it's been a while since i have done a chicken update. they are so big now! they really slowed down in egg production over the winter. up until january it wasn't too bad... but come february we were hardly getting any eggs at all. our two easter eggers haven't layed in a month! i miss my green eggs. hopefully by easter we will have our full color range and numbers again. they are already starting to pick up a bit. this past week has certainly felt like spring. the weather is so warm and everything is starting to bloom. the girls are enjoying more free ranging time too. here are some pics of a few of the girls....

goldie

rosalita

cutie

brownie (sometimes i think she believes she is a rooster)

we also aquired two new hens from someone in the neighborhood who could no longer keep them. they are about a year older than our flock. it has taken awhile for them all to adjust but they are starting to mingle more now.  we are up to nine hens all together.

meet lucy (a golden laced wyandotte)

and myrtle (a rhode island red)

when we got them myrtle immediately decided to molt and lost all her feathers. her feathers have grown back in but she hasn't started laying again yet.

also here is a little peek into their coop (which we still haven't finished completely)...

hen house and run (not painted all the way yet)

inside the run

coop box

still haven't built the egg boxes yet, so they lay in the corner of the coop

happy weekend!