Spring Lambs!!

Oh my gosh!! They're SOOOOOO CUTE, and I am so pleased to introduce you to them!

This is Marilyn she was born to our ewe Lizzy. She was the smallest in a set of triplets, unfortunately the other 2 lambs didn't make it. She's small and sleeps a lot more then the other lambs, even though she was born first. Here I'm trying to give her a little extra nutrition. For those of you who are wondering, yes I did try a bottle first. I even tried a rubber glove (goats seem to like them better then a bottle) She drank this way for me once but I haven't been able to get her to do it again.

Please meet Coco and Elvis. Coco is a the colored lamb and Elvis is white, though he has one or two spots of color. Their momma Tilly, she's a Tunis, is a bit of a nut.Even though we've had her for month's now and I go in their pen and try to interact with her, you know show her we're not going to hurt her / get her used to people, she's still a nut.

Our newest Finnesheep Phoebe had 2 little girls; Hippie and Rita. Hippie is very interesting, her wool is twice as long as any of the other lambs. Rita is a mountain climber. When her mom lays down to rest, she likes to climb on top of her and bounce around.

And last but not least, we have Squirrel. He has some definite spunk! His momma was our black ewe Trouble. I'm not sure if you can tell but those are skids being used as the sides of the pen. Squirrel is instigator and will slip behind the skid to visit Gretta. When Elvis and Coco see him they do the same.

Gretta's pen is in the corner between Tilly and Trouble. I don't believe we will be seeing any lambs from her this year. I believe she may have had one but it was stillborn or she failed to care for it.


I have some more sadness to write now. . . Our Blue Faced Leicester, Lisa, recently passed. She was carrying triplets. The vet, my husband and I tried but we were unable to save either the momma or the lambs. The vet said there was nothing we could have done differently. Sheep are really good at hiding when they don't feel well. Anything I might have questioned I contributed to her pregnancy and the multiple's she was carrying. I will be talking extensively with our vet to prevent future problems.

Happy Easter - penny slider card

I used 2 digital stamps for this card; one from Wee Stamps 

and the other was from a set of free sentiments by San's Designs.

Again I used scraps from my scrap box and plain white cardstock to make an A2 sized card. 

As you can see one of the images and some background paper stick up, so I'll have to make an envelope to go with this specific card.

I colored the images with Prismacolor Markers and then used fun flock on the flowers. 

I think in the future I will color the flowers first and then use the fun flock.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Stamp and Create April Monthly Challenge - Spring Little Claire's Designs -  challenge #19 'Spring/Easter' Colour Me Creative Copic Challenge - #40 'Spring Pretties' Make It Monday Always Anything Goes - MM #83 Digital Tuesday Challenge Blog - #154 Easter Paper Take Weekly - anything goes The Scrapbooking Queen - Bunnies and Easter Creative Belli - must have 3 shapes Penny's Paper Crafty Blog - Easter Rubys Rainbow Challenges - #24 Easter Scrapalicious  - Easter Southern Girls Challenges - use a sentiment Inky impressions - Flower Power Paper Pretties - April showers bring May flowers Stamping with the Dragon - Spring is here Whimsical designs - 'Celebrate Spring' Crafty Purple Frog challenges - #37 anything goes Digi Doodle Shop - friends Milk and Coffee challenge - Flowers Cute Card Thursday - Happy Easter ATCs & Cards With Attitude - anything goes Card Crafters Circle - #16 Easter Card Makin' Mamas - Easter Totally Papercrafts Challenge - #110 Easter Simply Create Too  - #10 Eggs or Bunnies wags n Whiskers - Say it with Flowers

Sweet Little Girl - Birthday card

I used my Gypsy and Cricut 

to cut out the silhouette of the little girl (from a childs year cartridge),

the flower boarder (from 3 Birds - Straight from the Nest cartridge),

and the sentiment (also from the 3 Birds - Straight from the Nest cartridge)

Using the 'cheater' method I attached some pretty blue ribbon to the base layer of the card front. 

I used my Zig 2 way glue pen to adhere everything together.

(Its quickly becoming my favorite adhesive)

I colored the flower boarder with my alcohol based Prismacolor markers,

then I added an oval shaped pearl to their centers,

and to finish I used Glossy Accents to make the flowers really pop. 

In retrospect I wish I had used a lighter shade of green for the background, I still think it works I just wish the words stood out a little more. Maybe I could coat them with Glossy Accents . . . 

Anyway, these are the challenges I would like to enter this card in: 

Crafty Calender Challenge March challenge - Spring clean (everything used was from my scrap box, except the Cricut and Gypsy of course) The Crafter's Cafe Challenge - CCCB Challenge #2 - Ribbon and/or Lace! Truly, Madly, Crafty Challenge Blog March challenge - color inspiration photo Little Clair challenge #19 - Spring / Easter Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings   RRR challenge #44 - Spring with ribbon Milk Coffee challenges challenge #1- anything goes Paper Crafting Journey PCJ challenge #5- pretty pastels Cute Card Thursday challenge #209 - anything goes Splendiferous Creations: Bloggers Challenge - They say it's your Birthday - Bloggers challenge The Poodles Parlour Challenge - anything goes Simply Create Too  challenge #9 - 'Its Spring!?!' Crafty Ann's challenge #61 - spring into Spring! Jellypark Friends Challenge National Craft Month challenge - favorite item; my cricut gypsy scrabookaholic by Abby  Dilo En Espanol Challenge #4 - anything goes wags n Whiskers challenge #75 - luck of the irish - use green Just some lines - spring cleaning challenge 3 colors of cardstock scraps 1yr+ pearls bought last Oct. when I got married patterned paper also bought last Oct. Totally Gorjuss challenge challenge #123 - Spring!

I made this card from 2 scraps of green patterned paper, white and black cardstock. 

I used my cricut to cut out a pot from the From My Kitchen cartridge. I then added rhinestones,

 a stamp from the dollar bin at Jo Ann Fabrics and a little stickles to finish it.

Overwhelmed

Is anyone els overwhelmed?
I mean about anything? I have 3 different organizers and still don't feel like I get enough done. Homeschooling, the gardens, animals, kids, housework, crafting, blogging; all seems like its own full time job to me. And I almost never feel like I give any of it/them the time they deserve.

Please tell me i'm not the only one. . . . . . .

oh and i would love some suggestions on how to get more done!

2011 Gardens - The 'Plan'

Ok, I have 3 gardens I will be focusing on. The melon patch, the veggie garden and my herb/flower beds along the front walk.

The veggie garden:

                                 Last year we tried to lay down rubber mats between each row to walk on and to keep weeds to a minimal. While they worked somewhat to reduce weeds they also reduced the amount of water able to get to the plants. Our tomatoes rotted on the vine, sometimes before they were ripe. And I really stink at weeding and watering.

                            

                              This year I would like to try laying down old feed bags between rows. They're paper, easy to cut and place in long strips. My hope is that enough paper layers will keep the weeds away but still let the moister through. I'm going to try and follow along with the square foot gardening approach. Both with starting some seeds inside and staggering my plantings. I'd also like to try drip irrigation using old 2.5 gallon water jugs spaced evenly along the rows. My hope is to get spring, continuous summer and fall harvests.

Garden rows:

an early corn

walk way

a later sweet corn

walk way

pop corn

walk way

tomato fence - 4th of July, beefsteak, Cherokee purple and Tie Dye

walk way

sugar snap pea fence / pinto beans (?)

walk way

broccoli / cauliflower / brussels sprouts

walk way

sweet pepper mix / eggplant

walk way

cabbage - chinese & reg. / green beans

walk way

Beets / carrots

walk way

leeks / onions / celery

walk way

lettuce / spinach

walk way

potatoes

The melon patch:

                            Last year we didn't even plant anything. The year before that everything we planted seemed to get some kind of fungus. We weren't able to harvest anything.

                            This year I'll be combining  Lasagna gardening with trellis gardening for my plants that vine but the 'fruits' don't weigh a lot, like gourds, squash and mini pumpkins. Lasagna gardening is a method where you use layers to combat weeds and enrich the soil. You don't have to till ether, which is nice. I've already laid down my first 2 layers and am working on a 3rd.

Lasagna Layers:

a thick layer of cardboard

sheep stall refuse (spent hay and manure)

peat moss

composted cow manure

peat moss

rabbit manure

peat moss

wood ashes

4 Trellises (one per corner):

goblin egg Gourd mix

winter Squash mix

Watermelon

Cantaloupe

1 Pyramid Trellis (in the middle):

mini Pumpkin mix

4 mounded beds:

pie Pumpkins

world of color Pumpkin mix

Rouge Vif D etampes Pumpkins

one too many Pumpkins

The herb garden: 

                                 Last year it was overrun by weeds!! And parsley. . . . . Seriously I haven't planted parsley except maybe the first year we moved here 5 years ago! Now its everywhere. 

                                 This year I'm going to be doing a little Lasagna gardening along with heavy mulching. Most of the plants are already established but there's a few I question if they are going to come back and I'll plant petunias in the spring. So, I'm going to wait until they come up then I'll start layering, plant my petunias and end with a thick layer of mulch. At least thats the plan anyway. Oh and I'm going to find a place to plant some artichokes. I guess their a member of the thistle family and are really pretty if you let them bloom. Plus the kids really like them.

To plant:

black petunias

striped petunias

white petunias

rosemary

basil

chives

thyme

Anyway that's the plan. I'm tired just looking at it lol.

Giant Rabbit cages

These cages can be used for giant rabbits, for a litter of babies or if your like me you just want to give your bunnies plenty of room. There will be plans for 2 different cages. The first cage I'm making will be the same size as the one's I'm already using. The next 2 that I'll be making will be a little smaller. There going to sit beside the door to the bunny stall and the doors to 2 other cages, I think I'll have to modify the cage doors to slide up when opening. All 3 cages will have built in hay mangers but will not have nest boxes. If I wanted to use them for birthing cages I will have to make nest boxes.

Shopping for wire was interesting. It should be noted that we use 2 different types of wire on our cages, 1/2"x 1" for the bottom and 1"x2" on the sides/top. TSC, in Wilmington, didn't have the greatest selection and what they did have they were out of. (I ended up getting the wrong wire and taking it back) Then I went to Lowe's, also in Wilmington. They had a much better selection however they were almost as sparse in the amount they actually had in stock. So I got what I thought might work. 1/2"x1" roll 10' in length, 1"x2" roll 15' in length, and a roll that starts at the bottom 1"x4" the openings gradually winded to 4"x4" at the top (50' in length). I spent $80. I was hoping to build all 3 cages for less then $20 . . . . .

I was delusional.

However if the wire with the larger holes works out I'll be able to build 5 or more cages. Oh, and my dad bought some wire for me to use. Its 1"x2" and (I think) 25' in length. So we're up to $106.99, 4 rolls of wire and a bunch of J-clips.

For the larger cage I cut:

                             1 piece of 24"x40" wire for the bottom, the holes were 1"x.5"
                             3 pieces 24"x24" for the small square sides, and the middle
                                           using the 1"x4" graduating wire
                             2 pieces of 24"x40" wire for the back and top; with 1"x2" holes
                             1 piece of 24"x36" for the front
                                            with a @x$ square cut for the door, 1"x2" holes
                             1 piece 4x3 for the door, 1"x2" (though I changed this for the smaller cage)

For the smaller cage I cut:
                      
                            1 piece of 24"x32" wire for the bottom, the holes were 1"x.5"

                            3 pieces 24"x24" for the small square sides, and the middle
                                           using the 1"x4" graduating wire

                            2 pieces of 24"x32" wire for the back and top; with 1"x2" holes

                            1 piece of 24"x26" for the front
                                          with a @x$ square cut for the door, 1"x2" holes

                            1 piece 4x3 for the door, 1"x2"

I connected all of the pieces together with J clips. For the pellet feeder, you'll want to cut a slot out of your middle section and wire it up before you attach it to the floor. Connect the middle to the floor next, to make life easier. Attach the side closest to the middle section, the last side piece, back and then top. Clip the front to the rest of the cage. Next attach the door to the front section, add a latch and your good to go.

In hind site I would tweak the design just a little if the cages were going to be up against each other. I would make it one very large cage with 2 rabbit holes and a hay manger in the middle. One small package of J clips is not enough for 2 cages.

This is the slightly larger cage. You can't see the pellet feeder, its there hidden by the water bottle. And this is Rewben, my new rew English Angora Buck. As you can see he has plenty of room. The cage is wired to the celling and hangs underneath of another cage. There is a slide made from sheet metal above that lets the droppings move to the back. You can kind of see it in the picture.

Yes, I had blisters by the time I was done. And my sweetie had to clip a door for me; but all in all I built them mostly by myself. Now I get a few new bunnies to fill them!!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.