Moon Flowers

Ken and I went to a flea market in mid-July. We go to this particular flea market every year and I always find some sort of special antique treasure to drag home. This year, I did not find any antiques that spoke to my heart. But I did buy 4 little Moon Flower plants with the hope that I might nurture them along and enjoy the flowers. God may have given me a talent for raising animals but just about every plant that I touch is doomed. I can not get a plant to thrive unless it's a perennial like hostas or peonies, which come up every year and sort of take care of themselves without any fuss or effort on my part. I am always envious of other people's lush green gardens and colorful flower beds. I am a "green thumb-deficient" person.

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Imagine my delight when my Moon Flowers started to bloom last night! They remind me of the big floppy flowers in a Georgia O'Keeffe painting. There are lots of flower buds that are ready to burst open. Maybe the Moon Flowers and I will get along just fine.

Growing Up With Emma

Since I see Emma nearly every day, it's hard for me to tell if she's getting any bigger in size. However, she has lost the "baby wool" that was growing on her nose and she's looking more like an adult Wensleydale ewe. Her nose is the characteristic "blue" now (it is actually a dark gray). It's hard to believe that she's not yet 5 months old!

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She seems to act like a "teenager" now...still that silly youthful exuberance! She LOVES to eat and does a funny little bouncy-run all the way to the feeder when I come in the pen with an armload of hay. That makes me laugh which probably encourages her to be even more silly. She is constantly in motion which makes it hard to get a good picture! She's quite a "talker" too, so she gets fed first to minimize all the baa-ing that goes on when she sees the barn door open up. Believe me, she has a loud voice and she makes sure that we hear it!!!

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Her fleece is getting quite long and we're arranging to have her sheared this fall (don't worry, we have a little sheep coat that she can wear if she gets cold). I think her locks are at least 6" long!!! She will probably always have to be sheared twice a year.

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Emma loves to be petted and scratched...there's no bribery involved anymore. She come right up to the gate for a scratch on the head or shoulders. She even lets me put my arm around her neck to get her chest scratched. Of course, this makes Lumi quite jealous so I am often seen kneeling in between the two of them, scratching both sheep at once!

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Gee, do you think they are spoiled?

My Wonderful Week of Wool

Every year I look forward to the second full week of August, also known as my "wonderful week of wool." That's when all of us rug hookers converge on Sauder Village in Ohio to shop, visit, and view the best rug show in the Midwest. Then, at the end of the week, I like to attend the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, Michigan. That's when all of us fiber enthusiasts gather together to celebrate the wonderful world of fiber...knitting, spinning, weaving, rug hooking, etc. Lots of shopping! It is also one of the best places in Michigan to see beautiful fiber animals such as angora goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, and angora rabbits.

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Here's Rebecca Erb's booth at Sauder Village. Look at all that luscious wool fabric stacked up! That was before the shoppers swooped down to grab what they could for their stash.

Here's a pillow made from Not Forgotten Flowers, a Spruce Ridge Studios pattern adapted from Lori Brechlin folk art. I love the soft blue colors. I also love how this rug hooker hooked the little sunflower. I didn't get the name of the maker so if anyone knows, please leave me a comment and I will certainly give credit.
Here's the gang from Rug Hooking Magazine. They had a beautiful display! We all grabbed a copy of the newest Celebrations issue. What a treat to see some of the winning Celebrations rugs in the exhibit!

OK, now we have to shift our focus to the Michigan Fiber Festival! I was a vendor there this year and had a small booth. Thanks to all who visited and shopped!

Even though we were busy tending the booth, I still took a few moments to walk over to the animal barns to see the beautiful angora goats and sheep. Neil brought 18 Wensleydale sheep this year and won several awards (I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly, but I think he said "best ewe, best ram, best pen of lambs." I ought to check that out). Neil was primping and combing two ram lambs for the sheep show while I was visiting and chatting with him. I was scratching and petting one of the ram lambs and held his little chin in the palm of my hand. "Wow, Neil," I said, "this little guy is really sweet and has such a nice personality" and I looked down at the lamb's farm tag....you guessed it! It was Emma's brother!!! I wonder if the little ram knew I had a family connection to him?!?!

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While I was at Fiber Fest, I bought a great little book written by Letty Klein and I'm going to teach myself a new craft in my spare time (a little voice in my head is saying "another new craft? what spare time?" Yeah, working with fiber is a true addiction, isn't it??? Never can get enough of it). You make long braids with roving, wash them in the washing machine to felt them, and then you sew them together like a braided rug...well, actually, it is a braided rug but it's made of warm, wonderful roving. I can't wait to get started!

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I'll post a little something about Emma tomorrow. She's growing into a lovely little lady.

Pumpkin Eaters!

It didn't take long for those wooly little rascals to figure out that pumpkin plants and tender green pumpkins make a tasty summer treat. Here's Lumi at the scene of the crime and what's left of the evidence....

And here's Emma, caught in the act of taking a bite!

I guess I'm going to have to buy my fall pumpkins at the farmer's market this year!

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Here's my honey feeding the goats some leafy treats. Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary. Yes, it's true....if you do the math, I was only 7 years old when I got married. You know, we did things different way back then...we were happy, we hardly had anything to call our own, and we didn't know any better!

Thanks Alice!

Thanks to Alice Frazier for giving me this lovely blog award earlier this week. I am so honored to receive it! Now I am supposed to pass the "torch" along with these rules:

1.The winner may put this logo on her blog!
2.Post a link to the person who gave you the award!
3.Nominate 5 of your favorite blogs and post their links!
4.Leave a message for them on their blog!

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I'm not real savvy when it comes to all this blogging stuff and I don't always have enough time for visiting other blogs. My list of favorite blogs are not that long but here are some that I would like to nominate:

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Maria Barton's Blog (come on, Maria, post something for us to read! We love your work!)

Lori Brechlin

Scary's West (this gal doesn't even know me but she was a "Blog of Interest" a while back and I've enjoyed her stories and photos ever since I found her--you'll like her blog too)

The Smiling Goat (OK, this gal doesn't know me either but I found her blog as I was lurking around the other day....I love the name of her blog ~tee hee~ and her primitive dolls are just adorable)

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Sorry, I can only think of these four right now but I hope you enjoy them!

The Hay Wagon Cometh....

The hay wagon came today. We had 155 bales of second cutting hay delivered right to the barn door....now someone has to unload those bales and stack them in the pole barn. Before it rains.

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Stacking hay is hard work. I can't even imagine what hard work my farmer friends go through to get it cut, raked, baled and put on the wagon to bring it here. All I know is that it is a dusty, dirty job to get that hay off the wagon and into our barn. I'm talking LOTS of dust swirling in the air and tiny bits of loose hay falling in your hair and getting stuck to your sweaty skin. It gets into your clothes, in your bra and underwear, into your shoes and pretty much permanently stuck in your socks. Your arms get scratched and if you don't wear long pants, your legs get scratched up too. Ouch.

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On the other hand, I love this time of year when the hay wagon comes. It means that, for a time, I have an abundance of food for the goats and sheep. I always feel better knowing that I've got enough food put away for them and it's going to last a while.

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The very best benefit about getting fresh hay is the SMELL! Ahhh! Have you ever smelled fresh baled hay? It it absolutely the most wonderful smell in the whole world...sort of spicy-sweet and clean...better than the aroma of bread baking! When we get a load of freshly cut hay, I can smell it all the way up to the house for days and days. The animals can smell it too...when the hay wagon arrives, they all chatter excitedly and pace back and forth along the fence lines...maybe someone will give them a handful of loose, fresh hay that fell off the wagon during the unloading....

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I hope that when I cross through those Pearly Gates in Heaven, St. Peter puts me on the side that smells like heavenly hay! Ha!

This Is How I Am Greeted Every Day....

"Good Morning, Emma!" (scratch, scratch on the top of her fuzzy little head)

"Yup, 'morning, Mom......where's my breakfast???"

Emma and Lumi's Pumpkin Patch

We have a lovely pumpkin patch growing in the sheep's pen this year. They are "accidental" plants...in the fall, we give the sheep pumpkins to eat, so these plants sprouted from seeds left on the ground last year. The plants are sturdy and strong and already have several elongated green pumpkins which are growing rapidly. I love the vibrant green leaves and bright yellow flowers.

Emma and Lumi graze around the pumpkin plants and haven't disturbed them yet. Maybe the leaves are too prickly for their taste. So far they haven't seen the green pumpkins (I think they would eat those). Hopefully we'll have a few delightful orange pumpkins to decorate our porch come October!LOL! The camera flash made Emma's eyes glow... spooky things are already happening in the pumpkin patch!

Emma's British Relatives?

In May of 2006, I traveled to England with a rug hooking group organized by Barb Carroll. We stayed in a youth hostel outside the town of Reeth in the Yorkshire Dales. One day we were able to visit a charming little wool shop in the countryside. It was full of hand-knit sweaters, scarves, yarn, and other wool products made from Wensleydale sheep wool. The owner's husband took some of us down the road to see his flock of Wensleydale sheep. I had heard of Wensleydales before, but I think this is when I became fascinated with the breed. The farmer had a can of feed and when he shook it, the sheep came running from far and wide. It's not easy to get a picture when they are milling around looking for a snack!

I was looking at my pictures the other night and saw a little lamb in the corner of one of the photos. Yikes! I think it looks like Emma, don't you?

(if you need to take a closer look, click on the picture to make it bigger)
It made me excited to think that Emma looks like some of her British relatives! Maybe this is a cousin from way back in her bloodline...you just never know!
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My "petting for food" bribe has been working very well. Last night I was able to get Emma to lift her head out of the hay feeder and she actually looked at me while I scratched her nose and her chin!

The (attempted) Taming of Emma

I'm a real "hands-on" person with my sheep and goats. They all get petted, scratched, patted, cuddled, hugged and sometimes even get a kiss on the nose. They are used to me handling them so they are really friendly. OK, I'll admit, we've owned Emma for less than 3 weeks but I'm really craving to scratch that fuzzy little head! Emma always stays about an arm's length away from me. She'd rather not be bothered...all she would rather do is eat....ah ha! I think I'm going to take advantage of that!

Emma must be going through a growing spurt because she is one lean-mean-eating-machine. When she sees me open the barn door, she hollers at me to bring that hay out...pronto! Then she buries her head up to her ears in the hay feeder. All you can hear is crunching and tiny satisfied grunts. She gets herself so wrapped up in eating that she is oblivious to anything else that goes on....

......hee hee..... So I've been sneaking in some good scratching and petting sessions while she's stuffing her face with alfalfa and grass. I figure that she'll eventually get used to me touching her and she'll warm up to the idea that being petted is good.
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Did I dazzle you with my photographic multi-tasking??? I took the picture (above) while leaning over Lumi, petting Emma with one hand, and balancing the camera while I pushed the button with my other hand to take the picture...wow! Now that's real talent for a "technology-impaired" farmer girl! I guess Emma and I are both learning some new tricks!!!

Lounging on a Lazy Day

It was a beautiful sunny day here in Michigan...perfect for lounging around in the shade and taking a nap. So that's exactly what Lumi and Emma did today! They are the best of friends now. Although Emma tends to "hog" the hay feeder, Lumi graciously allows Emma to eat her fill first.

When I walked out my back door yesterday evening to feed the animals, I heard a loud "whooshing" noise. Two hot air balloons glided right through my back yard!

Have a great week-end!

***July 4th ****

Happy Independence Day

She's a Grand Old Flag....Long may she wave over America, my beautiful Country!!!

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Yankee Doodle Birthdays

Ooops! Forgot to wish happy birthday to my goat, Bella, who turned 3 years old today...we do celebrate our pets' birthdates...and to my cat, Cleo, who turned 19 years old. Yes, that's right! 19 years old, still going strong, and not a gray hair on her !!!

Beautiful Lake Michigan

Oh, how I love Lake Michigan! My sister and I tried to go down to the beach on Friday night...we were merely one block from the sand when the skies opened up and poured down rain, causing us to run quickly back to the car. We tried again on Saturday evening. This time, the weather cooperated and we had a REALLY fun time! Here's Amanda walking on the beach...

We walked to the end of a cement pier that jutted out into the lake. Across from where we were walking, there was another pier and this quaint little lighthouse.
Then we came across a man on the beach who was sitting at a picnic table with 2 parrots. This white one was named Peaches and she was quite friendly. The man said Peaches wanted to sit on my arm...so I gave it a try! As you can see, Peaches began to fluff herself up, flap her wings, and chattered at me in "parrot talk" (she did say "Hi baby" plainly)! Parrots on the beach? Not what I expected!

We were able to sit on a picnic table and watch the sun set over Lake Michigan....simply spectacular! The picture says it all.
OK, here's my most favorite part of the whole week-end....on Sunday, I met a lovely 11 year old girl named Rachel. After seeing some of the rugs and wool in my booth, she thought she might like to try her hand at rug hooking. So I taught her how to hook while her mother walked around the quilt show. In one hour's time, she was pulling up even loops and she was absolutely "hooked" on rug hooking. Her first attempt was beautifully done.

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You go, girl! I'm proud of you!

Maybe one day, we'll see Rachel's rugs at the Michigan State Fair...or even in Rug Hooking Magazine!

Fun at the Quilt Show

My sister drove up from Nashville, TN on Friday to help me at the quilt show in Benton Harbor, MI on Saturday and Sunday. We had so much fun! And what a beautiful show! The quilt display was more like an art show. Here is the quilt that I looked at every day because it was across from my booth. It won a third place ribbon in the Large Quilt category. This quilt was called "Crazy Scraps" and Doris M. Petznick is the maker:

This quilt was in the "Junior Member" category and was made by Amanda Monroe. It's called "Goats of the World". It was one of my favorites! Oh gosh, there were so many good ones!

The quilter below is Sharon Mason. Her quilt is named "Grandma's Garden/Trip Around The World". She won a first-place ribbon in the Large Quilt category. She generously shared her quilt story with us.

I thought you might like to see the quilt that won Best of Show or People's Choice. It was called "March of the Elephants" and made by Vicki Nitz. It had many batik fabrics in it. Words and pictures cannot describe how truly wonderful this quilt is. The sewing and details in the design were astonishing!

I'm not a quilter but this show would certainly inspire you to take up this beautiful sewing art!

My sister and I went to the Lake Michigan shore on Saturday evening and I'll post some of those pictures tomorrow.

The Game Emma Plays

We keep loose minerals available all the time for the goats and sheep to eat. It looks like sand but it contains salt and vitamins and minerals which are essential to keep them healthy. They love to eat it, especially when I bring out a fresh supply. We pour it in a plastic container which is made to hook over a board or fence. We have kept the sheep minerals under their shelter for close to 4 years with nary a screw or nail to hold it. We have simply hooked it over a board and it stayed in its place. Emma has decided to make a game of this.....

Emma has decided that it would be real fun to flip the plastic mineral container out of the shelter. It lands in about the same place every time. Each time she knocks it out, I go out to pick it up and replace it on the board. Pretty soon, she flips it out on the ground again. And then I come outside again....this has happened at least 6 times in the past 3 days....can you see a pattern here? LOL! I wouldn't mind it so much except that the minerals get dumped out and it's becoming a costly game. Looks like Ken is going to have to get out his power drill and some screws this week-end!

Years ago, someone once told me that they thought sheep were dumb and had no intelligence. I'm betting that person never owned sheep before.

Have a great week-end!

Quilt Show

I'll be vending at a quilt show this week-end sponsored by the Berrien Towne & Country Quilt Guild. It takes place Saturday June 28th and Sunday June 29th from 10 am to 5 pm at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center, Upton Hall, 2755 E. Napier Ave., Benton Harbor, MI (if you are on I-94, it is at Exit 30). Admission is $5.00, children under 12 are free.

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I've been putting together special wool bundles in yummy colors for wool applique, penny rug making, quilting, or rug hooking. And I'll be bringing lots and lots of other overdyed and as-is wool along with beautiful hand-turned wooden sewing accessories for the discriminating fiber artist. Also a few rug hooking kits and some books.

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It will be a lovely week-end to view the quilts and do some shopping...hope to see you there! I plan on visiting the Lake Michigan shore for a little relaxation in the evening!

A fun time at the Mansfield Hook-In

We had a great time on Saturday at the Kingwood Center in Mansfield Ohio. Many heart-felt thank-you's to Katie Allman for putting on a fun and special day to rug hook, shop, and visit with friends. The rug display was absolutely wonderful. I wish I would have taken more pictures of the rugs. This was one of my favorites:

A gorgeous proddy rug! This was made by Ruth Treen. It reminds me of the proddy rugs I saw in England (Thanks to Katie Allman for identifying the maker of the rug).

Emma has settled down a little bit today and she is not rattling our windows with her baa-ing. She still "talks" but it is more gentle and quiet and sounds like a purr-like baa. She is trying to buddy up with Lumi. She still avoids me at all cost but she is constantly curious about what is going on while I am doing my chores. She walks down to the end of the pen and "talks" to the goats too. They just can't figure her out!

Welcome home, little Emma!

Well, it certainly has been an exciting day for both human and sheep here at Spruce Ridge Studios! This evening we picked up Emma from Neil's farm and brought her home.

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Here's Neil carrying Emma out of his barn to load her in our truck. (Good grief, she's being carried? Just a little spoiled already, wouldn't you say?!?) Kind of hard to believe that this is a 3 month old lamb!

Emma and Lumi meeting for the first time:

And now, nose to nose!

Such a cute face (I think I've said this before)! And look at those curls!

A growing girl needs to eat.....yum, there's some good hay here....

And now for some grass and clover....

But this is what Emma has done the most since she's gotten here....

BAAAA!!! BAAAA!!! BAAAA!!!

She is quite "vocal" and has a loud voice to match. Poor girl, it's so hard for her to be separated from her mom and and the familiar surroundings where she grew up.

(I hope my neighbors are very understanding)

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We had a terrific time at the Mansfield Hook-In at the Kingwood Center on Saturday. I'll post a couple of pictures tomorrow. Time for this "sheep mama" to go to bed!

Hex and Frex is finished!

Hex and Frex, an adaptation of Lori Brechlin Folk Art by Spruce Ridge Studios/Kris Miller (c)2007

I finished Hex and Frex last week. I was watching the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup and pulled up the last loop as they were celebrating their win. This rug is hooked in all textures with a #8.5 cut throughout. I love everything about this rug! I love the dark colors and the sparks of turquoise that march around the border. I love the round little eyes of the cat on the left. Simple, yes, but it gives him a personality. I love the "straight-line hooking" on the body of the cat on the right, this gives the rug an "old" feeling.

My favorite color combo is the hex sign...love the combination of the maroon and dirty turquoise textures!

Thanks so much to Jayne Hester for her delicious color planning !

Hooked Rug Show and Hook-In in Mansfield, Ohio

Isn't this a beautiful setting? This is the Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio. I will be vending at the hooked rug show/hook-in that takes place here on Saturday June 21, 2008. The hours of the show are 10 am to 4pm and admission is absolutely free and open to the public! Come enjoy the rugs in the Meeting Hall, and the lush flowers and gardens on the grounds (I have never been here but I'm told it's a wonderful place to visit). Stop by my booth and say hello! If you have any other questions, you may call Katie Allman at 419-685-4490.