it's just that hot...

this is what my children did after playing outside yesterday! it has been such a hot summer (i know i don't have to tell you that!). we have been at the pool most everyday... and then laying around like slugs the rest of the time. what creative things have your children done to try to beat the heat?!

we have also been getting ready for some big changes around here. my children have decided to try school this year. i think we are all feeling a conflicting mix of emotions. both kids have attended some form of school before, but never at the same time. so, i am facing a big change myself. i have had a child with me everyday for the past eight years! that is a long time. i think it will be a fun adventure for all of us, and it will be interesting to see what happens! so, i am trying to soak up my time with them a bit now and that is why the absence from blogging. i am looking toward the future though and thinking of the time i will have to myself. perhaps it is time  for me to step back into my work a bit. i know most of you have probably given up on me, and i had pretty much given up on myself but i am looking foward to creating again. i hope you will stick with me a bit longer:)

hope you are all staying cool!

fairy houses...

via

this past weekend we took a visit to a lovely local garden, woodlands, that is open only once a month. it is a little seven acre oasis in the middle of the city... full of native plants and flowers. right now it is also full of fairy houses. they are part of a project by skyland trail...

"skyland trail is a community-based nonprofit that offers hope to adults with mental illness by guiding them on the path to recovery.  clients engaged in both art and horticulture therapy, and inspired by the magic of woodlands garden through regular visits, have created miniature homes and gardens alongside the paths. fairy home building and gardening taps into the imagination and ingenuity of adults struggling with mental illness.  it allows individuals to celebrate the intricacies of nature while embracing their own talents and passions."

it was so much fun for the children (and me) to walk through the garden trail, discovering fairy houses. the one shown above was my personal favorite... a nest where fairies are born and spend time waiting for their wings to dry and figuring out what sort of fairy they will be. the kids were very inspired to come home and start working on fairy homes in our own garden...

i like that it is a project that encourages the children to look at our yard in a new way, to pay closer attention to nature when we are there and walking in the neighborhood... finding little things to add to the houses. i like that is an ongoing project, always changing. i especially like the idea of having these little hidden magical places to discover in the yard! i hope they make a lot more! maybe the chickens will enjoy discovering them too...

some more photos around the house...

feathers

i was sitting on the couch today, looking at the view above and admiring the pretty light... when i realized how little i take pictures around the house anymore. since moving i have been so busy setting up house... or imagining all i want to do... that i forget to stop and capture the little moments around here that truly make it a home for me. so here are a few photos from today... and i promise to share more moments to come. click the links to see the descriptions that go along with each image!

birds nest

art and nature

k is for koffee?

front hall

chicken update...

update! a new picture and a suggestion from someone that they might be a new hampshire red? i guess time will tell... they definitely are turning more red...

little eliza here is funny... she follows me around like a puppy when i come out with food!

we are finally finishing up the coop and i will share some more photos soon.

etsy love...

a nice suprise to see my little deer on the front page this morning, and yesterday in the etsy finds email... with my favorite subject, little creatures! did you see it? very cute. this is a beautiful tresury too... so soft and pretty. you can see the full one here. my shop has been so bare and neglected i am always so honored when someone stumbles upon it to find and show off my little creatures.

you know this is how i feel about all of you;) ....

hope you are havinga  lovely day too...

xo

mystery chicks...

so being new to owning chickens, there is obviously a lot i do not know. i ordered 3 different breeds but only just noticed this week that out of my 3 buff orpingtons... two are not. hmmm. it's funny because they looked very similar as chicks, and really up to a few weeks ago looked almost exactly the same. then one day i was watching them run in the grass and realized they now look nothing alike. i assumed there must be variations in the breed but when i looked it up i found buff orpingtons are a very straight forward breed. they are all buff, with round bodies and pale legs. in other words, like my chick "goldie"...

you can see the difference between "goldie" and "eliza" who is shown above. eliza definitely doesn't fit the description. neither does "teeny"...

she has the same coloring as eliza... but she is my little runt:) same coloring, but smaller. eliza and teeny are buff with brown, white and even black in their tail. they have yellow legs also, and they aren't plump like goldie. quite a mystery... at least to me! my guess is the hatchery got them mixed up with another breed. i have no idea with what? my only guess is they might be buff rocks? maybe? anyone know about chicken breeds out there?! perhaps it will be easier when they are hens. ultimately, it doesn't matter... but the mystery is sort of fun:)

summertime, and the living is easy...

"i solemnly swear that i am up to no good". pretty much a theme around here. easy summer days full of mischievous fun! we hurry outside in the morning before the heat really sets in (95 everyday, really is that necessary?)... eating breakfast, and later dinner on the porch. letting the chickens out to run. building a new garden (finally). chasing chickens out of the garden. climbing trees. finding hiding chickens. scrambling to get the coop done. beating back mosquitoes. eating popsicles, trips to the pool. chasing chickens. resting on the porch, under the fans. general summer fun! 

visit my flickr page to read more descriptions of the photos above:)

framed...

my husband was working hard on the chicken coop last weekend... not always easy when you have two little "helpers" in tow. the basic frame is up and this weekend the roof will go on and the actual house made. i know it is a challenge for him, especially as we lived in the city for so many years and he doesn't have all the tools he needs. my mania for chickens probably got the better of me and i appreciate his patience and hard work. we decided not to put them in the barn, as this is also our only storage place at the moment and it does need work (we did find out from a neighbor that a horse lived here not too long a ago!). instead we are building a new coop and attaching it to the run which already exists. we are making the garden coop, with a few modifications as we will already be at full coop capacity with eight birds. obviously, the run will be much bigger but we are also making the house slightly larger as well as putting the egg boxes on the outside wall rather than in. i will share more images with you as it starts to actually look like a coop!

the frame will be moved back to attach to the existing run

we definitely need to get things done, as the hens are growing rapidly. the older chicks are really starting to look like chickens now and the babies are feathering out quickly and imitating the older ones in behavior already. my husband made an outside box for them so they can explore in the afternoons, which they love, and give our house a little break from chicken mess!

i wish i could be more of a help with the coop. i feel kind of helpless when it comes to building. i have been busy in the yard myself though... planting flowers, herbs and some vegetables. i'm anxious to get a garden started for real. we actually have sun here! i also cleaned our front porch and made it fun to hang out on. i'm currently sitting out here while writing, and also watching a bird build a nest while my daughter builds some sort of elaborate trap to "catch" her brother in. i forgot to take pics of the porch but i will share some soon. i did take some of the downstairs bath, which i have been working on as well. i painted and made a curtain for the window... i hung some art and plants, and i need to make a skirt for the sink next.

needs to be painted but i can't decide a color, the floors will be painted grey also

sink is waiting for a pretty skirt to hide her ugly pipes

i am beginning to accept that this house will always be a work in progress. this bathroom will eventually be swapped with the laundry room, so i am just trying to make it livable for now.

wedding...

via prairie seed

a few photos from the wedding we worked on in praire seed last year. i think everything came out quite lovely... mostly thanks to the talent of my sister katy! i love the vision the bride had for the wedding, and i think it worked out really well.  if you are looking for something similar be sure to visit the shop... we are also having a customer appreciation sale... just enter the code may11sale when you check out.

pictures courtesy of j'adore love.

catching up...

well, our house has gotten quite full lately (and looks to stay that way for a bit as we haven't even started the coop, yikes!).  we had FIVE new babies arive last week. so we are up to eight. it took a little bit for the older ones and the younger ones to get used to each other but now it is like they have always been here. with eight they don't get as much cuddle time i'm afraid. the first three are so sweet and love to be held (polly is usually perched on my son's shoulder when she is out). they are extremely cute though. so now we have polly, sally, rosalita, goldie, brownie, cutie, eliza... and one sad chick who has yet to be named. they are a lot of fun... and just like real babies, a big mess! speaking of that, i hope you all had a lovely mother's day? mine was very relaxed and nice. last week was also my anniversary! we have been together 15 years and married 9! i surprised my husband with some prints from tastes orangey, which i love!! i framed them and hung them over the fireplace in our room. they remind me so much of my husband and me (my husband was even wearing the same pj's when i gave them to him!). my daughter even asked if someone had painted our picture. i'm so happy i got them... oh, and of course my husband likes the too:) here are some photos to catch you up...