the goings on around here!

we are busy. bottom line....busy, busy, busy. what's new with that?

anyway, here's levi after some chocolate pudding that his sister Rachel fed him. i can honestly say he doesnt look so much a mess when i feed him. he really doesnt look happy either does he?? too funny.

yep that's levi with a chicken on his head. that's "cutie" to be exact.

cutie likes to be held & well sit on heads!

levi prefer it not be his but he handled it well.

esther has been horrible about getting into my massive amounts of makeup.

what is really fascinating to me is she can actually get it on her

eyelashes - the mascara anyway - like it's suppose to go. but she also gets it everywhere

else also.  she watches me way too much! now we just lock my bedroom door

anytime i am not around. makeup is not cheap and she likes to play too much.

this is pickles. we helped him find a forever home.

his original family is moving to london & cant take him with them.

poor pickles! he is actually very sociable & seems to adjust quickly.

he reminds me of my mom's old dog, hamlet. he passed last year,

but i think pickles looks a lot like hamlet did.

these are some of the books i got in the mail today. oh i love my pretty books. i am going to learn how to care for cows & pigs on small lots of land for our food. yes that is a book on basic butchering also. there is a bead embroidery book, a couple crochet/knitting books, a couple cute sewing books (take note of the Amy Butler one on the bottom of the stack! My FAVORITE! it has patterns for about 26 different bags/totes/purses) dont aske me when i will have time to actually try any of the patterns or cute projects. dont ask me when i will have time to read them besides a polite glance (since i did pay for them i need to know what's in them right?!) the other pictures are of my other craft books. embroidery books, sewing for kids books, sewing skirt books, ribbon embroidery stitches, quilt blocks, stuff animals, sooooo many nice books. but mainly they are so PRETTY! i love how pretty they are all stacked up. it makes me feel good to just look at them. i like to on occasion open the pages & look at the pretty pictures.) i am actually quite enthralled with the talent in these books. the pretty embroidery & sewing projects. the needlepoint & the knitting. i sew....ha! soooo badly...want more time to be crafty again. when i look at these books, i get the urge to create again. it's been a while. i am actually in the process of making my friend Jenny's son, James, a quilt......so when i am done I will post pictures. oooooh, there's even a book that i got at the thrift store on how to make a doll house & how to handmake all of the minature items in it, how to wall paper it, carpet it, make the portraits & the dolls. i would love to do that over time with my girls. something to hold onto for a lifetime and build memories. and yes, all of these books surround my collecting of magazines i get on a monthly or bi-monthly basis: Organic Gardening, Garden & Gun (yep it's an actual magazine), Country Living, Southern Living, Family Fun, Kids National Geographic, Grit, Hobby Farms, Answers in Genesis, ....there's a few more but i cant remember all of them.

oh & look: EGGIES!!! if you have ever tried to peel a fresh layed, hard boiled egg you will find it's almost impossible without a ton of salt & extremely cold water. anyway, i find it very difficult. well the "only on tv" crew have come up with a fantastic invention for all of us small hobby farmers. these little babies are wonderful!! basically i crack the egg into the "eggie", put the lid back on the eggie, boil the eggie with the cracked egg in it & voile'.....no peeling...the egg comes out hard boiled & i just have to unscrew the top & put it on the plate!! i'm so excited!!! i need about 12 more eggies but they are $10 for 6 so i will make do with the 6 i now have.