a day for cuddling

It rains.

Playlist = Norah Jones.

All 4 girls read books/play school upstairs on Ella's bed.

The chickens huddle together in the lilac bushes,

too dumb to find shelter in the pump house 5 feet away.

And.....

of their very own accord.......

Twix and Pepsi decide to join Farley in his box.

It is a day for cuddling.

And paying bills.

And doing laundry.

And trying to thread the new sewing machine.

And breaking the needle on the sewing machine.

And wondering if I can return the sewing machine because it wasn't put together properly.

But mostly a day for cuddling.

In other animal related news.......

• Steve heard that horrible Tortured Death Shriek from the Woods of Peril last night. FINALLY! He didn't have any idea what it could be and I think he might have even been scared;)
• Twix was apparently nursing on Josie's pajama top this morning.....sprawled out on her tummy, sucking and purring......apparently no attachment disorder there.
• Ella is teaching Farley to drink from a water bottle.

F-o-u-r

Four years ago today I gave birth to my enormous

11 pound baby girl.

I'll never forget the first time I kissed her soft squishy forehead.

I mean, really, what newborn has fat rolls above her eyes?

Mine.

She has since lost much of her baby fat,

though her chubby little butt cheeks are still

quite irresistible.

She knows not to walk upstairs in front of me.......

I can't resist a pinch or 5.

Our Gwenny-boo is such a joy to the whole family.

Addie gave her a card today that read.....

Dear Gwen,

Happy Birthday.

I love the way you laugh because it makes me laugh.

You are sweeter than any birthday cake in the world.

You light up the world with your giggles and love.

I can't live without you.

I love you.

Love,

Addie

And everyone said.........

Amen!

another case of the pixie pendants

Tee hee!

I love bright color

and funky paper

and glitter letters

and old chippy barn doors.

Just thought I'd share

these pictures

that make me happy:)

Predator vs. Prey

No, I'm not referring to that horrific noise that woke me from a dead sleep last night....

.......the sound of some poor creature squealing and yelping

as it was apparently tortured before becoming a midnight snack.

Eww. I feel sick just remembering it.

No, in this scenario I am the hunter.

Bargain hunter, that is.

And this is my PREY.

Some poor unsuspecting chalkboard left in the parking lot of the community center

where an auction was being held.

Have I mentioned my newfound love of auctions?

And auctioneers?

Something about them just makes my heart race.

So.......yup.

I was looking for something much like this for the bare wall in my kitchen,

but I really didn't think I'd be able to snag one for 5 bucks!

And then, still hungry for more,

I scoured the shelves of a nearby Goodwill

till I found

a KING sized Simply Shabby quilt

for $3.25!

Insatiably yours,

Joolee

And then there were 20

We are happy to announce the arrival of the newest members of

The Juicy Roost.

Introducing.........

1. Sarah
2. Candy
3. Dot
4. Peep
5. Flo
6. Charlotte
7. Virginia
8. June
9. Nameless
10. Daisy
11. Mabel
12. Stella
13. Gina
14. Molly Lou Melon

Juicy Roost

So, what do you think?

There has been talk that we should give our new acreage a catchy name.....
you know, like Sleepy Hollow or Green Gables or something.

With lots of blackberries on the property I thought maybe something like

Blackberry Barns.
But today something else popped into my lil old brain

as I was weeding yet another flower bed......
and I loved it
instantly.
I was able to picture it on business cards
and jelly jars
and on an old chippy barnwood sign
pointing people in the direction of our annual barn sale.

When I called Steve with my revelation I made him promise to think about it awhile before giving me his opinion.
He has a way of squelching any and all ideas that I think are fabulous.
Sure enough, he was unable to hold his tongue and immediately responded with,

"IT SOUNDS LIKE A SKANKY MOTEL!"

Whatev.
I still love it.

Though we don't have chickens quite yet, they ARE in the plans.
But even if not......

Juicy: temptingly appealing

Roost: a place to settle or congregate (for rest or sleep)

OK....honestly. Tell me what you think.

Let me just say.....I have big plans for Juicy Roost.....
Plans that may or may not involve

cute labels on jars of homemade blackberry jam,

healthy stinging nettle tea

(I am drying the leaves as I type)

homemade baked goods

(including delicious and nutritious constipation cookies)

farm fresh eggs

rustic barnwood signs

colorful repurposed furniture

with vintage paper lined drawers

altered art composition books

vintage fabric creations

wildflower bouquets in blue mason jars

and maybe even on-site event planning

(i.e. weddings and showers).

Have I mentioned I was incredibly tempted to bid on about 10 old banquet tables

that sold at a recent auction for ONE DOLLAR!!

Watch out people.....I have awfully big dreams for

Juicy Roost.

Don't stop me now.

Unless of course Juicy Roost really does

sound like a skanky motel.

Dear Mr. Crop Farmer,

Thank you for growing food for the rest of us to eat. You work hard. I see that now. Forgive me for thinking you had it so easy during those winter months. You woke me up with your tractor in the field next to my house at approximately 1 a.m. this morning!!! Don't they let you sleep? And do you have a little toilet in that great big tractor thingy?.....because I am wondering how you find time for that with all of your plowing and spreading and blowing stuff onto the dirt. I don't know much about this whole farming thing yet......pretty much just what I saw on Food Inc. I am new to the area and pretty clueless. But I just wanted to thank you. Thank you for growing food for us to eat. Thank you for working so hard.

Sincerely,
A City Girl

P.S. Would you buy a refreshing cold beverage from my girlies if they set up a lemonade stand?
P.P.S. Would you take my girlies for a ride in your tractor thingy?
P.P.S. Could I go for a ride in your tractor thingy?
P.P.P.S. I hope they pay you well!

A party of NINE

Today my baby girl turned 9. Wow!

Nine? Can that really be?

Saturday we had a party that just happened to include 9 of us.

Our family of 6 plus three friends.

The weather was perfect.

They all got along and entertained themselves easily.

Addie got a Best Friends picture frame from one of the girls.

How blessed she is to already have such wonderful friends:)

The kids have found a way to use my $1 ladder until Daddy builds them a tree house.

They're off, chasing yet another clue in the scavenger hunt for goody bags.

Happy Birthday Addie!

We love you bunches and are incredibly proud of you!

runner's high

Or perhaps more likely an "I can't believe we were able to buy this house of my dreams" high.

Because I can hardly call myself a runner.

Either way, I'm feeling pretty good right now.

Inspired by last night's Biggest Loser

I started the day with sprints up and down the driveway.

And by "sprints" I mean I jogged.

Whatev.

It felt good.

Surrounded by fresh air and the sounds of the birds.....

even a few turkeys.

And I think lots of ditch living frogs.

I took it all in.......

the peace.......

the space........

the freedom to go for a decent run

without having to leave our property.

And then the girls coming out to join me on their bikes.......

Gwen in her princess dress and Josie's big red cowboy boots.....

arms outstretched running toward me with a big bear hug.

Ahhhhh!

Life is good.

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW.........

He's pretty much a big deal.

Or so he likes to remind me.

I'm afraid his debut on Kelly's food blog has gone straight to his head.

I suppose.......I can admit that I am a lucky woman.

Just remember that he leaves his socks under his side of the bed

and then blames me when there aren't any clean ones in his drawer.