Spring is here...

Spring is here. What better way to celebrate spring than baby chicks! We have joined the group of "Backyard Poultry Owners" and our family is loving every minute of it.

Without further ado, meet our chickens that were hatched around Easter.

Snowball a White Silkie Bantam

Storm Trooper a White Silkie Bantam
Gwen a Buff Orpington
Another Buff Orpington
Tallulah an Americana
Grace an Americana

Stormy a Black Silkie Bantam
Darth Vader a Black Silkie Bantam
Janis a Light Brahma
Penelope a Partridge Cochin Bantam
Aren't they cute? They won't stay like this very long....they are already growing up. Could you tell the kid's named them all except for Penelope...she's mine. Now the boring details, there are 5 standard breeds that are the egg layers and 5 Bantams that are the smaller, designer birds that my daughter hopes to show at fair next year for 4H. As far as eggs, we will have to wait 8 months for eggs and also at that time we will find out who the rooster or roosters in the bunch are (when they start cock-a-doodling). Unfortunately, roosters are not allowed in the city....so they will have to find a new home (that will be a sad day as we are smitten with all these chickens.)

If you are interested in getting chickens there are tons of wonderful sites out there. Here are two to check out.

www.backyardchickens.com

www.mypetchicken.com

It's beginning to look a lot like christmas.....

I had the pleasure of attending Birds of a Feather's Christmas Open House a month ago. Birds of Feather is located in beautiful Cambria and is well worth a drive to check out this lovely store filled with treasures. You can find everything from ephemera, german glass glitter, ribbons, decor, antiques....oh the list goes on. Heres a little peek...

New jewels in my etsy shop

I have been having a hard time photographing my jewelry and getting my etsy shop updated with all my new pieces. Not sure why? Maybe this is the why...

Aahh...Yes, I do believe this is why. But, how cute is he? And such a great helper!

Treasure Hunting

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved Flea Markets, swap meets, garage sales, thrift shops, junk shops, antique stores...you name it! And now that my little one is getting older, I have been getting back in the habit of Flea Marketing with my partner in crime...my sister-in-law. This entails getting up at 5:30 in the morning (thanks to my Espresso machine), bundling up warm (big sweatshirt and gloves), racing up and down the rows with eagle eyes (because the early/quick bird gets the worm) looking for that one thing "that makes my heart sing" (As my Aunt Beth says), and all the while having a wonderful time hanging out and laughing with my sister-in-law (she is so much fun!)

My favorite acquisition....this Victorian mourning pendant. A beautiful piece of history.
And check out this urn/champagne chiller that I tuned into a paper towel holder!
This cool metal table was a steel at $20 and I use it to hold my school binder and supplies in my kitchen and it will double as microscope lab table!

Homeschooling

Oh, the wonderful books we will read and the fascinating places they will take us to. The sweet time spent together. It's wonderful to be back in school.

This year, Ivory is in the 5th grade, Elias is Pre-K and Beckett...well he just hangs out with us.

Beloved jane jewels

A gift for a dear friend. This necklace is made with Apatite gemstones, freshwater pearls, rhinestone rondelles, and sterling silver. Frippery at it's finest.

Part Two

Well, we are back.  The truth is we have been back for quite a while and enjoying our summer break so much that I haven't had time to blog.  So to get you up to speed we had a wonderful time in San Diego with our friends.  As far as our trailer, only one little thing fell off.  Here a few photo highlights.