folk & kin

2012-01-20T14:05:00.000-06:00

The day after I get my iPhone I hear that the factory in China that is manufacturing them employs 13 yr olds. This would never, ever be allowed in the States. We deem this unfair and cruel. Yet, it is ok if they aren't in America? Guilt crept in. I try to be careful & aware about what I purchase, but I let my guard down for an iPhone. Reading this article nearly brought tears to my eyes. What can ...we do?! How about every time you use your iPad, iPhone, or any other electronic device for that matter, think about whose hands have touched that item before you even bought it. Think of their quality of life. Was someone beaten in the process because they didn't work fast enough? Did someone die at the factory while making it? Use those thoughts & feelings next time you make a purchase. Check where it was made. If it wasn't in America, chances are those people aren't treated right. Research companies you buy from. "Your dollar is your vote." All I can think to do right now is share, spread the word. Maybe someone smarter than me will create a plan of action. Use these devices that people suffered to make for us to spread the word. Let's protect human life.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46027028/ns/business-world_business/

handmade + puppy

2012-01-09T16:22:00.000-06:00

Homemade wine rack

For Sam's folks this year, we made this rustic wine rack filled with 2 Buck Chuck of course.

When I say 'we' made, I really mean Sam made.
I drew out the design and explained it to Sam & my talented hubby made it. He improved on my design by dove-tailing the joints. Which are the first dove-tailed joints he has ever made. We made it out of free wood we have collected, so it's re-purposed as well.

Oh, & if you don't know, we got a puppy.
A little girl named Coda.
We have had her about a month.
She is a 14wk old mix puppy.

Family photo

Sketches

2011-12-09T18:21:00.001-06:00

Old sketches soon to become the newest K&C children's book.

WE'RE LIVE, BABY!

2011-11-18T21:47:00.001-06:00

http://www.facebook.com/printandparty

http://paperjudaica.co/

Happy Hanukkah! Let's party... PRINT & PARTY THAT IS!

Coming soon...

2011-11-04T00:36:00.001-05:00

Where'd the summer go?

2011-08-17T21:08:00.004-05:00

My dad & Joe.

Seth & his horse Joe.

Sonny, showing me some love (after being a pill while riding.)

This guy likes salt like me.

My fig tree has been fruitful!

MICHIGAN

2011-07-31T13:26:00.007-05:00

Here are a few more shots of Michigan. Late, I know, but ever since we have been back I feel like we have been on the go.

One of our favorite parts of the trip was hanging out with Maas & Yoh in Ann Arbor.

Zingerman's sells Boylan's Soda out of a fountain! By far my favorite thing about this famous deli.

Then we went and camped at a site on Lake Michigan.

Crossing over to the Upper Penninsula.

Crossed into the UP enough to get a pastie... pronounced Pass-Tee.

We then went to Traverse City, recommended by a good friend, we really enjoyed this town.

We drove by this guy and thought it may be Sufjan Stevens, unfortunately it was not.

Then we were off to Sleeping Bear Dunes.

This was in Traverse City, but I thought it would make a good ending to the post.

Madcap

2011-07-17T13:57:00.007-05:00

So our last night in Michigan was spent in Grand Rapids. We got there late and didn't stay close to the downtown area. But the next day we at least wanted to check it out before heading home. We researched and found this coffee shop. It had great reviews on Yelp, so we plugged the address into the GPS. Honestly, this is one of the best coffee shops we have been to! They had two espressos to choose from and we took the suggestion of the barista (who adores KC!) and tried the Ardi. Oh wow, a lot of flavor. I had a 6oz cappuccino, the only size they offered I believe. Sam had a macchiato, which was for there only, no to go espressos or macchiatos at this place. Also, this is my favorite feel/look of a coffee shop. Very clean and modern with a bit of rustic feel with the concrete and brick. Lots of windows and minimal art. I love the white walls.

Madcap

Located diagonal from the Grand Rapids Art Museum, smart location.

I loved the packaging, notice the trophies?

Small menu again.

White walls look great with the dark floor and contrasting brick wall. Next shot is over this rail.

That's right. They roast below and you can look down from above.

America's High Five

2011-07-11T19:19:00.001-05:00

(Yoh informed me of this MI slogan.)

Yes, the VB's are in Michigan. 1st stop Ann Arbor to visit my buds Maas & Yoh. Tomorrow we will be headed due North. Here's a little view of our tour of this neat MI town... neat.

No adventure would be complete without a stop at a local coffee shop and local brewery. There are a couple other shots from the day. Hopefully this trip will give Sam & I a much needed break from the mundane & give us a nice shot of creative energy.

TBlakes & other coffee snobs... notice the small menu.

Don't let this alleyway fool you. It was rainy outside and this little hallway, called Nickels Arcade, was covered.

This bike is wasted... How can a bike be drunk? (jist of a convo between Maas & Sam)

Dignan... Refreshing

2011-06-27T20:24:00.003-05:00

Like Fleet Foxes? If so check out a new fave of mine : Dignan

Love it.

Thanks again, 93.7 The Fountain.

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Which one of these do you like best?

2011-06-17T21:55:00.004-05:00

Here is a band I found, via 93.7 the Fountain, that I really enjoy. Folk music is my favorite, notice my blog name, and The Blackthorn Project seems to have that folk music feel. Also;

A. This couple seem to have it going on. Here is a quote directly from their site:

"Tim and Laurie Thornton are creatives and ministers who proclaim the kingdom of God through writing, speaking, music, and most of all, relationships."

B. Their music is lovely.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, I leave you with the best fisherman I know. Yes, He is fly fishing while treading water... you should give it a look:

There was another video of his flawless, treading water cast... however, I thought this was more interesting. Has that ever happened? I don't know if you could hear, but he said the fish was swimming between his legs, that is when he went under and grabbed it. Impressive.

FOUNTAIN

2011-05-20T22:09:00.001-05:00

A break through in the music research! A new radio station:

I went to the Roasterie down South with the girls and talked Lil'Cass into taking a free business card, not knowing what it was. When we got back Tom asked about this new station. I didn't pay much attention to the card and assumed it was an already existing station!

Anyway, I checked it out. Awesome. Except it doesn't come in real well all the time. They play some interesting music, including one of my faves John Mark McMillan. They also play stuff like U2 and Need to Breath. My other issue with the station is that they don't tell you the artist. Which I want to know a lot of the time. If you listen to them online they have the name of the artist playing. This doesn't help me much while I am in the car.

My thumb of approval.

Listen to 93.7 The Fountain

Critters!

2011-05-13T21:25:00.001-05:00

My pal, Aliya and I enjoyed a bunch of critters last Saturday. We went to Lawrence to go to Monarch Watch's open house & plant sale, ate at local burger, where I had a tasty elk burger, and ended up at my mom's to see the chickens.

This little guy was on my mint a different day. But he was too cute to leave out. I used to think praying mantis were creepy, but when you have one as a pet they change your mind.

Luna

2011-04-23T14:00:00.002-05:00

Happy (a day late) Earth Day! Thank you L-rd for what you have made!

The best Earth Day gift I received...

I was secretly hoping that my cocoon would be a luna moth, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. In my research I saw that a lot of caterpillars use leaf litter for the exterior of their cocoons (brilliant.) I cannot explain how excited I was. Sam claims he has never seen me that excited. Well, things like this really get me. Especially since I was suppressing my hope of it being a Luna Moth. It's wings are an incredible green, a photo doesn't do it justice.

PS. If you don't remember what the cocoon looked like, here it is. Something I will treasure.

Bloom

2011-04-21T22:01:00.001-05:00

My bletilla started to open today. I ran out and took this picture while it was sprinkling!

Spring & New Music

2011-04-15T22:50:00.006-05:00

One of my first 'working at' FTN purchases. Hepatica.

My daffodils finally woke up. Then the rain beat them up today.

Jacob's Ladder will have purple blooms.

I will definitely show you these when they bloom. Bletilla or hardy orchid.

The first batch of morel mushrooms. Hoooooooray!

You see the cocoon? It is still alive. It wiggled in my hand.

No more polls because I don't get enough votes. Just let me know what you think if you want to.

Listen to Dustin Kensrue HEAR/HERE

Spring Flowers

2011-04-06T22:01:00.000-05:00

Wild violet from my yard.

Viola

Really Spring... Really?

2011-03-27T21:43:00.002-05:00

I am not happy about this.

VOTE

2011-03-23T21:46:00.001-05:00

3 days to vote!

Andrew Osenga

2011-03-13T15:32:00.001-05:00

Andrew Osenga was a member of Caedmon's Call that is now doing solo music. His sound is very mellow, or what I have listened to on his album "Choosing Sides." I can no longer spend the length of time listening to new music as I did this winter. So I am basing these on a quick listen to a few songs. So I would really appreciate your feedback if you like it or not, what it reminds you of, etc.

Listen to Choosing Sides

1st ride of the season

2011-03-13T14:45:00.002-05:00

Saturday was beautiful so we decided to head out to my dad's for a ride.
I love horses!

This is my horse Sonny.

It looks like Dandy is getting a whiff of a Sam fart.

Stamp

2011-03-06T22:07:00.002-06:00

My carved stamp: Tumblr

COME ON & VOTE

2011-03-04T22:45:00.002-06:00

Come on folks! You have 4 days to vote for Jeremy Casella... you can vote that you didn't have time to listen... just click a button people!

tumblr vs wordpress

2011-02-25T23:02:00.001-06:00

I am starting a new blog, less personal. Just creative. So I was trying wordpress... well now I am trying tumblr, too. I said I would never get a tumblr, I hate that it is misspelled. I hate when things are misspelled on purpose! However, tumblr has nice options. I have seen more tumblrs I like than wordpresses. So... what do you think?

Jeremy Casella

2011-02-23T22:24:00.003-06:00

My next artist is Jeremy Casella. I am not quite sure how I ran across him. The little I have heard has been upbeat and a lot happening within the songs. I kind of thought U2 when listening to him, but I haven't listened to much U2. Someone suggested a song sounded like Wilco. Either way, those are hip bands. So give this fella a listen, won't you?

Listen to Jeremy Casella

Kitchen in progress

2011-02-21T21:45:00.000-06:00

Jill Phillips & Andy Gullahorn

2011-02-01T14:25:00.001-06:00

I was originally going to do a post about Andrew Gullahorn. Then I found out his wife was a musician as well. I like her. I need a female vocalist on here. But I will go ahead and post about both of them. They are married, so pretty much one right?

Jill Phillips has a little folky feel. She is in the contemporary Christian music genre, but I have never heard of her. But let's face it, I don't know a lot of the CCM artists because I didn't grow up in the church. So she may be a well known Christian artist that I just didn't know about. However, I know about her now and like what I hear on her God and Money album which was created in 2002. She has more recent albums. I just haven't listened to them as much.

Listen to Jill

Andy Gullahorn sounds a little more country... maybe too contemporary country for me. Maybe because he has a song about writing a country song. Who knows. I think I tend to lean more towards Jill's music than his. Not saying it is bad, if it wasn't it wouldn't be on my blog. I've got to say... I need to listen to his music some more (listening to it now as I post.) I can't tell if I love his music or just like it. I feel like I am on the fence with him. Sometimes too country, sometimes just country enough. I may have a biased opinion when it comes to country music because it was all I listened to until I was in middle school thanks to my folks. So sometimes it pulls on my nostalgia strings. I love Garth... what!?

Listen to Andy

Visual Blog

2011-01-30T17:04:00.000-06:00

I have created a new blog to post photos, work, etc. This blog has become more personal.

http://folkandkin.wordpress.com/

PS. New music post coming soon.

Soul Junk

2011-01-12T21:37:00.002-06:00

(Thanks to my bud ELA for telling me about Soul Junk & the CXVI stream at the bottom.)

So this will be very different from the last bands I have posted about. A little hip-hop, rocky, experimental... I don't know exactly how to describe it. However it reminds me of N.E.R.D. & I am a big Pharrell fan (he is the front man.) It definitely had my head a boppin while I listened to it at work today. I really got into it. I think it helped my work day along. This is something I can jam to. Plus when I went the the website I saw a lot of scripture. That is always a plus!

Listen to some Soul Junk

Read some of their posts

Don't forget. VOTE! COMMENT! TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE THINKING, POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE! Thanks.

Now here's a little extra: CXVI

They were on my list of possible posts when Luke emailed me the link to stream them onto my blog. Thanks again Luke!

Gungor

2010-12-29T21:59:00.001-06:00

I stumbled across Gungor when I was checking out who would be at David Crowder's Fantastical Church Music Conference. They played along side other favorites such as Mike Crawford and John Mark McMillan. They have an interesting mix of sounds. They can range from folky/Sufjan-y to almost jazzy with a song featuring Israel Houghton. The album I will suggest is Beautiful Things, this is their latest album.

Listen to Gungor
Read about Gungor

I am extending my poll dates. You get 2 weeks! Which means I will post a new band every 2 weeks instead of every week. That way you have some more time to check out the music.

Peasall Sisters

2010-12-19T14:45:00.004-06:00

First of all I want to thank Kate for pointing me towards Grooveshark. This is going to make my endeavors way easier.

So do you remember George Clooney's daughters in O Brother Where art Thou? Do you remember their little singing voices? Well, thank the Peasall sisters. They didn't actually act the part but they were the girls singing. Well they are older now but their harmonies are still right on. Some of you may know my favorite is bluegrass. My favorite album is Angels Are Singing: A Women's Bluegrass Gospel Collection, which features my favorite vocalist Alison Krauss.

Well these young ladies fit into this musical love of mine. You can hear they have been singing together all their lives. Their voices are angelic. I feel the emotions in my chest when I listen to their album Home to You. I LOVE THEM! I would suggest listening to the album Home to You because their voices are more mature. First Offering might be good for kids to listen to.

Their myspace does not have any music to listen to, however here is the link if you want to check it out: http://www.myspace.com/thepeasallsisters (a song is featured on the True Grit remake I am so excited about.
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/search/song?q=peasall%20sisters

If you only have time to listen to a couple of songs please listen to Home to You (the song) & Where No One Stands Alone, both on their Home to You album.

2010-12-09T23:09:00.010-06:00

I did not buy the previous album, I realized I only liked the Myspace songs, and there were only four on there. But mainly because I would rather buy Doug Burr's albums! His music is why I started this project. I knew music of this quality was being made by some one who fears the L-rd, it just took some digging to find.

I have taken a new approach. I listened to Doug Burr all week long over and over again. He has a nice sample of work from his four albums. I love all the songs. I now get the flutters in my chest when listening to the music. I would buy all four albums, but I feel like I should pace myself. That's a lot of money all at once.

Here are a few interviews that I browsed through to make sure he is an upstanding guy (I liked him more after I read the interviews):

Holiday at the Sea
Paste

He is not singing worship songs. However his album "The Shawl" is an album of psalms. I will probably purchase this one first. His music is Indie/Country/Folky, I would say in the same category as Fleet Foxes, Decemberists, Iron & Wine... yet not really sounding like them. I am really excited about this guy. I have been waiting all week to do this post, listening to him day after day. I am looking forward to hearing the other songs he has to offer that are not on his myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/dougburr

There is a poll on the top of the right side bar. You have until Thursday night to cast your vote.

Ocean's Above

2010-12-02T22:26:00.005-06:00

The more I strive for righteousness the further away I go. Away from the music that would evoke emotions that would cause my chest to fill with helium so that I felt I would float. The music was hauntingly beautiful. But that was the problem... it was haunting. Something would grab me deeply and cause these emotions. What, I am not sure. But because the way music plays a part in my life I want to make sure it is music that is filling my spirit in a positive manner. I don't want a false sense of beauty and elated emotions. I want G-d to to fill me with real beauty and elated emotions. Now, like many of you reading, I have a picky & particular taste in music that Christian artists rarely aspire to. It is my problem, not theirs. But I am on a mission. Hopefully a successful one. If not I will be calling out to G-d for my favorite secular artists to realize who He is and the gift He has given them. Maybe I should cry out for that even if my mission is successful.

I will feature one artist a week. Maybe a little info I can dig up on them. I will feature artists that I may not be crazy about, but I think others might enjoy. I will have a poll for each artist because I want to know what you think. I also would like to know if you purchase an album based on my research. Or if you have heard of the artist prior to my post. Please leave comments.

Artist: Ocean's Above

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/oceansaboveworship/music

I want to preface this with the fact I do not own the cd yet. So I have not listened to it repeatedly which is how I usually judge music. However I have listened to the songs they have on myspace multiple times. The band takes well known worship songs and do an electronic, modern rendition. It sounds a lot like Postal Service (which is a favorite of mine.) It is nice to hear the songs portrayed in a new way. Some of the songs I am not impressed with, though I am judging them from the short preview on Amazon. Overall I was very happy with Ocean's Above. I plan on purchasing it, maybe tomorrow.

Sorry

2010-11-28T22:29:00.004-06:00

Sorry folks. I am behind on my blogging. I need the internet at my house!
(The previous post is of some fella named EJ, by the way.)

I will start with some crafty Cass time:

Here is a cheetah we made for Wyatt's birthday.

Here is our 3rd art day project. The final project can be seen at The World to Come.

A before shot of my new storage thingy:

Some projects from wedding scraps:

Our new Menorah.

A piece of cherry that does not look so hot. Until I chisel it down to the beautiful colored core, sand it & shellac it!

fiesta time!

2010-10-25T20:32:00.000-05:00

Some random items

2010-10-22T21:17:00.004-05:00

Here are a few creative things:

painting from early this year

my lion & moss semi-terrerium

Now I want to share with you a recently discovered, nostalgic treasure. I had been looking for this childhood toy for a while now. When I say looking, I mean I thought about looking but didn't know where to start in my mom's house. But I could remember what this toy did and I wanted it. I wanted to use it. It was a deep heart-felt desire, which I feel about a lot of childhood items. Well, I found it. I wasn't even really looking for it. I was in the right place in my mom's basement and it caught my eye from a storage shelf.

It is amazing... I know. A little tricky at times, but amazing. Thanks to the lovely Kate for showing off the Spiro-Tot.

Linwood: horses & guns

2010-10-18T22:26:00.001-05:00

Team Cass: art day #3

2010-10-13T22:51:00.005-05:00

Leaf Prints

A super fun & super simple project.

You paint the vein side of a green leaf and stamp it down, (basically.)
And we did some stamping with okra.

Kate and I also did this project to test it out & had a blast. Now I am constantly searching for leaves to print!

the back yard mystery:

2010-10-06T23:23:00.003-05:00

I was walking around the back yard today and I found these...

Strange, yea? I pulled one apart. It was a little like a cattail (the plant) texture. I was going to take them into work tomorrow to find out what it was. But my curiosity got the best of me & I found it on-line.

It's created by a gall wasp.

W ooly oak gall, to be specific. The puffy balls are kind of cute, however I am not a big fan of the wasp.

gravel roads

2010-10-03T22:11:00.004-05:00

I know I didn't live way out in the sticks like William Elliot Whitmore, but I wish I did... especially now.

His song still hits home with me.

It must be that time of year
I'm feeling that pull again
I've got to get away from here
and back to where my feet can stand
Back to where the trees grow tall
and ain't a sound for miles around
Except for the distant call
of that lonely coyote's howl

Life's mysteries unravel when my tires hit that gravel
and I leave the paved road far behind
Every breath I breathe is one step closer to me
easing my worried mind...

We were at my mom's last night. When we left I looked up at the clear sky. The stars shine so brightly there. Not like here. I forget how well you can see them when this light pollution is not cluttering up the sky.

2010-09-23T21:45:00.002-05:00

Team Cass Art Day # 2: Finger Puppets

finished puppets. Cass did the black puff paint faces on her own.

here they are in action!

another Cass face & a whale by Maas.

see you later, CO

2010-09-02T21:44:00.001-05:00

Well, I have been back for a while. At least a week. I have just put off posting my farewell to CO. Now that I am back I have a list of projects old & new to start & to finish. Landscaping, painting, building, sewing the list goes on... it always goes on.

on the porch

2010-08-16T20:14:00.002-05:00

So our plan was to do a small day hike today. But the weather didn't permit us to go. So we stayed home and had a relaxing day inside. So I went out onto the porch to do a little painting. I was just dabbling in some water colors today. Nothing fancy.

It was so beautiful and relaxing outside. I stood out there with my headphones on listening to my favorite album (right now.) John Mark McMillan's, The Medicine. Sam purchased the album a few weeks ago and we absolutely love it! He wrote How He Loves. And like that song, the rest of his album is absolutely inspiring. So click on his name above to hear some of his music.

Well the cool, 58 degree breeze drove me inside. It kept blowing my stuff off the porch then proceeded to sprinkle droplets on me. Tomorrow we will be off the Great Sand Dunes. So we are headed back East, kind of.

vacation = lovely

2010-08-16T13:58:00.001-05:00

CO

2010-08-11T22:34:00.001-05:00

< Marker exploration... I am not good with markers, yet. I am hoping to see a bear while we are out here. I have never seen a bear in the wild & it has been a desire of mine. I have been disappointed every other CO trip. I still have time on this one.

OUT OF TOWN! Well, I will be soon.

2010-08-05T20:04:00.000-05:00

sorry it's small. there needs to be a size between lg & xl

2010-08-01T22:53:00.002-05:00

Today I did some weeding. You can't really tell here but it feels so much nicer. And looks better. I love plants.

We went out to my mom's. Swimming, horses, fourwheelers & learning how to fly fish... it feels great to be surrounded by nature.

My cool bro:

2010-07-29T20:18:00.002-05:00

older stuff, but i like them.

i can cook...

2010-07-26T19:55:00.000-05:00

Here is one of my favorite summer sandwiches. It is a take off the blt. My aunt used to be a vegetarian and instead of bacon she fried provolone until it is crispy like bacon. She would add liquid smoke for more flavor. Well, here is my recipe:

Start off with a couple of slices of provolone cheese. And some tomato slices.

Lay out the Sandwich Thins (or bread. I prefer the sandwich thins cause I don't like a lot of bread.) Put some fresh tomatoes... in season of course, on the sandwich. Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the two slices of provolone straight in the non-stick skillet. It doesn't need oil. I add some oregano, thyme and rosemary.f

Let it bubble and flip it over when one side is browned.

Let it get brown and crispy on both sides.

Put it on the sandwich and voila... lunch.

Maybe the good cookers will let me do a guest post some time.

Elephants

2010-07-23T21:45:00.003-05:00

I have a new plant love. I had never been fond of elephant ears (the plant.) I never really wanted one. I don't know why. But now I have some. And I love them. Downside... not hardy. I have to dig up the bulbs every year and store them over the winter. I don't have much space in our duplex to over winter all these plants! Good thing the elephant ear doesn't need sun over the winter. I also have a list of perennials I want for when I own a home. Shade and sun perennials. I kind of even have a shade perennial bed designed in my mind... Also I am struggling guys... seriously. Like anxiety/excitement in my chest struggling. I want a place to plant in the ground. I am thankful I have a yard to do stuff in. It is really nice. But I have an itch. I want things to grow and to become established. I have a lot of plans. Just no place to execute them. I want a veggie garden and an herb garden. And trees. Lots of trees. Anyway. Sorry for rambling. Here are the elephant ears:

I had an art day with Cass. The first of many monthly art days. The first one was water colors over a chinese marker. The Chinese Marker is waxy so it has the crayon effect when water colored on. I drew her an elephant, her favorite animal. You can see it in the bottom of the photo. She really liked painting with black. Can you tell? I think the one above the elephant looks like a rabbit marching. I would love to draw around it and add details. Maybe that will be a project. Cass can paint first and I will draw after! Brilliant. Go team Cass!

2010-07-18T22:08:00.009-05:00

Fishing in Linwood. I caught the most fish or all the fish... as usual.

1st fish on my new bait caster from my dad & bro.

Here are some illustrations/doodles. This is why I started the blog anyway. To force myself to do one creative thing a week and post it. I have slacked off, unless gardening is creative?

I did these during service last Sunday... (Sorry Paul! It helps me focus!)

2010-07-09T21:51:00.010-05:00

There you go Leah. Though it has grown and changed a little since then.

Here is my latest project. Thanks to the PBlakes I have some nice logs:

And here is what I did to one of them:

I forgot to take a before and after. But these logs came from the same tree out of the PBlake's back yard.

I chiseled off the bark and then spent hours sanding out the chainsaw cuts. Then I shellaced it.

This lovely log is now Little Cass' bed side table. Though it is quite short. It was also an experiment for me. I would like to try it with different types of wood. I believe this was a honey locust. Watch out logs!

Yard Update

2010-07-05T22:54:00.000-05:00

Yard April 24th

Yard now:

some cherry tomatoes

okra's growing

I didn't grow this. But I love fungi.

2010-06-27T22:59:00.043-05:00

So I recently had some monarch chrysalises. My super neat cousin works for an organization called Monarch Watch where she raises monarchs. So she had given me some chrysalises that were somewhat close to hatching. Butterflies do not form a cocoon like moths do. But moths do form chrysalises, just inside the cocoon they spin. So here is a monarch chrysalis. It will seem to turn black when the monarch is about to come out. But the chrysalis is actually clear so you can see thru it. You can see the black of the monarch when it is about to emerge.

Here is what it looks like seconds after it emerges. It's abdomen is full of fluid which is pumped thru the wings. The wings take about ten minutes to fill up.

What an amazing creation.
Leah will probably post some photos about it also. I gave a couple to her and Cass.
(Thanks again for the chrysalises Jesi. Correct me if any of my info is incorrect, you are the pro.)

And here is something handmade and creative. But I didn't make it. My sweet husband did. He made it out of repurposed wood for my birthday. He is so handy, I love it. I also got that sweet card, but not from Sam.

Wyatt William Blake

2010-06-03T19:12:00.004-05:00

I was looking forward to teaching Wyatt all the things i knew about bugs and nature stuff, I wanted to point out a cicada coming out of its shell or dig up an ant-lion so he could see what it looked like. Now he is learning from the One who created it all.

You will see the orange lion on my blog. This Lion has a lot of meaning behind it. Originally it stood for the Lion of Judah, this was declared by Wyatt as he carried around his cardboard shield that his mom made with this Lion drawn on it and the name Judah written under it. Now it represents more to me. It is orange because that is Wyatt's favorite color. It represents Wyatt with the Lion of Judah, seated in Heavenly places.

He is amazing. Our hearts are broken.

horse breath

2010-05-20T19:40:00.004-05:00

two of my favorite guys on one of my favorite animals

Horses have such a unique and wonderful odor. I don't know what it is about them that makes them smell so great. I know I am not the only one who enjoys the smell of horses. It is a commonly loved/liked odor. To me it is nostalgic. It takes me back to different times and places. It feels like home. It reminds me of my dad and of my late grandpa and of my brother. I am so happy that Sam is into riding now. It is so amazing to go out riding with my bro and Sam. Seth takes us deep into the woods and through farm fields (during the season that crops are not growing of course.) Far away from civilization. I miss having the horses in my yard. I miss the days when I used to ride with my mom, dad, and brother. I was really young in those days. We stopped riding together when I was old enough to have more experience and get better at it on my own. I didn't take advantage of growing up with horses. I took it for granted and I didn't ride enough. It is something that I regret. Especially now that I don't have the horses easily accessible to me. But it just drives the desire to own land so that I can have a second chance at riding regularly. So I can have the horses breathe there grassy breath on my face. It must be because they are herbivores that makes their breath pleasant and not stinky. If I did not like meat so much I would try to veg it up and see if my breath smelled more like a horses... just kidding of course.

2010-05-16T16:15:00.005-05:00

September 6th, 2009

May 12th, 2010

more photos of the barn

2010-05-16T14:03:00.009-05:00

Here is my new garden contraption:
(the tray tied to the top of my tomato cage.)

The squirrels keep getting into my fresh dirt. So I wanted to keep it safe. I was starting sunflower seeds. Well. I guess that the strong rain made them float to the top... where birds have great access to them. They ate all my seeds. FAIL. So I am starting them in take-out containers to make a little greenhouse effect. Hopefully it will be successful.

Family Tree is a great place to take photos:

I am starting a portfolio on my blog. (check the top left corner, below my header.) But I have a few more projects I am working on. A business card/logo for MaasenPhotography. A logo and business system for Unveiled, a wedding stylist duo. And an invite for Cristina & Matt's wedding. Here are my sketches for the wedding invite.

2010-05-10T21:46:00.003-05:00

farewell june...

So things didn't really work out with our new family member. She is too much for us to handle and a little bitey. So after a long emotional weekend we decided that we need to give her back. Someone can give her a better home with lots and lots of running space and that will have a lot of time to break her bad habits.

this sucks.

:(

2010-05-06T22:05:00.003-05:00

A little change. It is similar to what I did with the family tree blog. Oh well. I like it.

2010-05-06T20:42:00.006-05:00

Free find from Shawnee big trash day!

Great for coffee on a Saturday morn!

2010-05-03T21:25:00.002-05:00

So we have a new addition to our little family.

This is June Bug. (Sam just likes June.)

Not the best photo.
June Bug
around 1 year old
small-medium, 32 lbs
Australian Kelpie mix

Sam and I love animals. I have never gone without a pet until living in Merriam. I really wanted a pet. So we felt like it was time to get a dog. I went to Animal Haven in Merriam Saturday. I had intended on just looking at puppies. But as soon as I walked around the corner I was attracted to this little girl. They called her Sabine, lame... Well, I ended up not looking at any other puppies and hung out with her the whole time. I texted Sam that I found a dog. Bill came and took a picture and sent it to Sam for me. I got the go ahead to fill out an application and put a hold on her until Sam could come see her. I was hooked.

So Sam comes home finally and we go so he could meet her. Well, as you can see, she wooed him as well. We took her home that night. The struggle now was to think of her name. Which took quite a while. I planned on naming our girl dog Ola Belle (like the old bluegrass singer.) But Sam insisted she did not look like an Ola Belle. Well, I disagreed, but we both have to like her name. After tossing around a bunch of ideas we finally settled on June Bug.

Which I do like. As a kid june bugs were my favorite bug! I know they are pretty dumb, but my birthday is in june... so I obviously chose the june bug as my fave. But they don't actually come out in June... much earlier actually. Anyway. This is our little June Bug. She has been rejected, but we will offer her a safe home.

During my research on her breed today, I found out that she is a super energetic and super smart dog, she is a mix though. But we might have gotten a dog smarter than her own good. This will just get us into shape and give us some good options for some tricks to teach her.

2010-04-28T22:03:00.013-05:00

This is a pod from a catalpa tree. The tiny paper thin thing beside it is what the entire pod is full of. That is the seed. It took me a while to figure out because there is nothing to it.

Until you soak the little boogers in water. Then they puff up! Pretty amazing. Then I dried them off with a towel and seal them in a baggy.

Then they start sprouting roots!

And then you plant them and they grow into trees! Here is my start.

2010-04-24T15:42:00.020-05:00

Alright. It is photo time. Kate's garden post really inspired me to document my planting adventures. Plus I work at a plant place now. So plants are a big part of my life right now.

Here is my front yard plants.

Here is my lovely fern. It grew an arm, it hangs over the railing. It is so awesome.

Here is my backyard. I would love to be planting trees and shrubs and all kinds of plants that need to become established but it is a rental. So I will have to settle for containers for now.

There will be some seating back there soon and hopefully a table. Then everybody can come over and have some fun in our backyard.

Here are my favorite reads right now. The top one will be more helpful when we own our own home. The bottom one is AWESOME. Plus it is really well designed. It is interesting and beautiful to look at. The pictures are beautiful and it also has really cute illustrations.

2010-04-22T16:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Earth day!

I had some images but my computer is being too slow to upload them. And my break is over. But hopefully coming soon... a catalpa tree sprout. From seed to tree, well tiny tree sprout. And my lovely backyard.

2010-04-15T20:09:00.007-05:00

So, an update on work... I love it. This job is great. Look for my ads in the star on Thur. & Fri. The Sun and Dispatch on Wed.

I haven't had much time to do creative things on my own. But I did make another gift/mug/pot.

I am also painting a tree on Hadassah's wall. Here is a sneak peak. I am not finished. I will post the completed project later.

Here is a cute photo of my country boy husband:

I wish he wasn't allergic to cats.

2010-04-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

So most of you know I am moving further into adulthood. At age 25 I am finally settling down into my first full-time job. I am saying farewell to my lazy weekdays of having no responsibilities. I loved working at Black Dog. I made a lot of relationships with customers and co-workers. I made a friend who I will probably be close to for the rest of my life. I plan on being a loyal customer after a year and a half of being a loyal employee. It will be easy to visit seeing as my new job is five minutes down the road at Family Tree Nursery.

I started at FTN last Thursday and I really like working there. It is two of my passions coming together. Design and plants. Plus I will not only be designing but I will be working on the floor which means I will be interacting with the customers. I am a people person, so I am very glad to still have this interaction.

Farewell espresso machine...

Hello desk...

I am worn out and I am trying to figure out how to do this full time thing and still spend time with my hubby. But I am not worried. Praise the L-rd. For He is good and He provided this job for me plus a job for Sam. This will bring us closer to owning some land. Since we will be able to save a lot more. The thought of being able to save for our own land will help me through my first suburban spring. A spring without the sounds of the rural home I knew. I don't hear the frogs, the owls or the whippoorwill. But someday, L-rd willing, I will hear them again. Out of our window.

I don't know if you can hear this very well. But these frogs were chirping when we were shed hunting and I wanted to capture it. This is what I used to go to sleep listening to.

2010-03-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

"... for anything that hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a mathom. Their dwellings were apt to become rather crowded with mathoms, and many of the presents that passed from hand to hand were of that sort."
taken from the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring

2010-03-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

I designed this as a farewell gift for my ex-boss.

2010-03-14T22:05:00.000-05:00

So Sam, Seth and I went shed hunting this Saturday. In the winter, male deer lose their antlers. So we went in search of some. It is quite fun. We just walk through the woods. It is early enough that the ticks and the snakes are not out, but it was not too cold. It is so nice to be out there, away from civilization.

We had to cross this creek. So Seth had the idea of swinging across, he cut down a vine and climbed up this tree and tied it into place.

He went first, the knot slipped tighter while he was swinging, that is why he hit the water. That just made it easier for Sam and I. I didn't get videoed, but I made it across too.

So we didn't find many antlers, I only found one.
We still had a great time.

It makes me excited about mushroom hunting,
which will start in early April.

2010-02-26T12:29:00.000-06:00

So, Sam likes to build things and I like to design things. This could be great. We are just waiting for the timing. Sam is too tired to build after work and he doesn't want to build on Sabbath. Right now these are our only free times. I am hoping once we have longer spring days we will be able to work in the evenings. We also don't have a lot of room. If we want to make and sell furniture and recycled, reused, repurposed items we need a lot of storage and work space.

Sam has made one item so far. Our coffee table.

Which looks great. He did a wonderful job on it. It is made out of old deck wood so it is recycled.

I have been collecting cheap items to fix up and repurpose. I like to try and make ugly lamps look cool. Here is one. I have not been taking before photos. So I can't prove it was ugly, so just trust me, it wasn't the cutest.

And here is a photo of my key collection.

So, ideally I would love to own a store front in downtown Merriam and sell repurposed furniture and decor, handmade furniture and handmade goods and art. I will start taking before and after photos to show of our work.

This will be great. I will go to garage sales all the time and Sam and I could make stuff together!

2010-02-21T22:43:00.001-06:00

I can't wait for these little boogers to be out. I took a photo of this cute little guy, fresh out of his shell last summer at my mom's. I know a lot of people do not like cicadas, but I love them. I love the sound of them. And I think they are cute. I just like bugs!

sines + vanb wedding

2010-02-19T15:58:00.000-06:00

Ok. Here is my blog. I have had it created for quite some time now. I just didn't know how to start. I had to have a sweet post to kick off my bloglife. So I am going to post about my amazing wedding to begin this blog journey. So here it is, September 6th, 2009. Almost 6 months ago...
So there it is. My first post.