If you are new this week, all you have to do is post a photo of whatever you want (within reason of course, keep it clean people! ;-) ) and it has to have some element of "peekaboo," "hiding" or "camouflage" in it. Think of one of those hidden pictures where you have to find the hidden images. Or a green frog blending into the green leaf he is sitting on. There are tons of options! Have fun with it!
If you would like to join in, please make sure to link back to my blog and use my button if you like. If I decide your image(s) is/are inappropriate, I have the right to delete your link. Other than that, have fun and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Oh, and I plan on having weekly themes in the future, but if you don't have a photo that falls into the category, you can still participate. And I don't mind if you add this into another Friday blog carnival. As long as you remember to link to me, that is great! Ok, that's all for now, lets see those photos!
Here is a button for you to use if you would like to participate. Thanks!
If you are new this week, all you have to do is post a photo of whatever you want (within reason of course, keep it clean people! ;-) ) and it has to have some element of "peekaboo," "hiding" or "camouflage" in it. Think of one of those hidden pictures where you have to find the hidden images. Or a green frog blending into the green leaf he is sitting on. There are tons of options! Have fun with it!
If you would like to join in, please make sure to link back to my blog and use my button if you like. If I decide your image(s) is/are inappropriate, I have the right to delete your link. Other than that, have fun and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Oh, and I plan on having weekly themes in the future, but if you don't have a photo that falls into the category, you can still participate. And I don't mind if you add this into another Friday blog carnival. As long as you remember to link to me, that is great! Ok, that's all for now, lets see those photos!
Here is a button for you to use if you would like to participate. Thanks!
I mentioned a giveaway last Friday didn't I? Alright, well here it is. In honor of our new puppy, and in remembrance of our sweet Duke, I am going to give away an 8x10 Custom Pet Portrait done by little 'ole me. The winner will be able to choose what medium they want it in: color pencil, black & white charcoal, oil painting, acrylic painting, or watercolor. The winner will be required to send me a photo of their pet so make sure you have a good one in mind! We will talk more about that when we email each other.
All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment and tell me what pet (name, type of animal) you would want a portrait done of (and don't forget your email if I don't have it!).
I forgot to add that this contest is open to residents of the US and Canada only! =)
You will have until Midnight (eastern time) Wednesday, October 7th to enter. The winner will be chosen the old fashioned way, out of a hat, by little Jimmy =) and announced on Thursday October 8th sometime.
A little fyi: This will be the first time I have done a pet portrait for someone. I am hoping that doing this will help me get back into doing more artwork! If it goes well, you can be sure I will have more artsy giveaways in the future =)
This is a special edition of Find Me Friday. I finally found Mama Cat's new litter! There are 4 sweet little babies, 2 girls and 2 boys. She had them hiding in our "garage" (needs to be burned down, its old and falling apart). They were under the blue tarp we have over our tiller. The tarp is to keep the bird doodoo off because the front of the garage is missing one of its 2 big sliding doors and the birds just LOVE to nest in there. Argh! So anyway, I was just poking around in there looking for something to stake a tree with and I hear the sweet little "mew" of a kitten. And then another and another. They came stumbling out of their hiding place and stared up at me with their big, newly opened eyes. They are sooo cute! So without further ado, here are a couple pics of the babies (and Mama in the first pic).
That was the longest game of Hide & Seek I have ever played lol. I knew I would find them when they got big enough to move around and be more vocal, & they sure gave themselves away! Hopefully Mama will move them into the barn soon, the garage is too close to the road for my comfort!
If you are new this week, all you have to do is post a photo of whatever you want (within reason of course, keep it clean people! ;-) ) and it has to have some element of "peekaboo," "hiding" or "camouflage" in it. Think of one of those hidden pictures where you have to find the hidden images. Or a green frog blending into the green leaf he is sitting on. There are tons of options! Have fun with it!
If you would like to join in, please make sure to link back to my blog and use my button if you like. If I decide your image(s) is/are inappropriate, I have the right to delete your link. Other than that, have fun and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Oh, and I plan on having weekly themes in the future, but if you don't have a photo that falls into the category, you can still participate. And I don't mind if you add this into another Friday blog carnival. As long as you remember to link to me, that is great! Ok, that's all for now, lets see those photos!
Here is a button for you to use if you would like to participate. Thanks!
Welcome to another Find Me Friday! And a nice big welcome to my new participants from last week, I hope you are able to join in again this week! Thank you so much to everyone for playing along =) Don't forget to click on the picture to enlarge it so you can find what's hiding!
A Bluejay I saw in the trees behind the cabin we stayed in last weekend. And a couple camo kitty pics
If you are new this week, all you have to do is post a photo of whatever you want (within reason of course, keep it clean people! ;-) ) and it has to have some element of "peekaboo," "hiding" or "camouflage" in it. Think of one of those hidden pictures where you have to find the hidden images. Or a green frog blending into the green leaf he is sitting on. There are tons of options! Have fun with it!
If you would like to join in, please make sure to link back to my blog and use my button if you like. If I decide your image(s) is/are inappropriate, I have the right to delete your link. Other than that, have fun and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Oh, and I plan on having weekly themes in the future, but if you don't have a photo that falls into the category, you can still participate. And I don't mind if you add this into another Friday blog carnival. As long as you remember to link to me, that is great! Ok, that's all for now, lets see those photos!
Here is a button for you to use if you would like to participate. Thanks!
This is the hardest post I have ever had to write, yes, even harder than the one about my mom passing. It sounds odd, but I was at least prepared (for years really) for my mom's passing. This was just so unexpected. Jim and I are absolutely heart broken. At about 10:30 this morning, our sweet, loving, beautiful Australian Shepherd, Duke, registered name Slick Silver Duke, got hit by a car right in front of our house. I was out in the rain attempting to move the car seat from my car to our truck. I don't know why I didn't let Duke in the car with me as I was unbuckling the seat, or why I didn't just leave him in the house for a few minutes. I ALWAYS know where he is and NEVER let him anywhere near the road! All I know is that I let my guard down, turned my back for what seemed like 2 seconds, then I heard him barking as a car was slowly driving by. It was this old man that ALWAYS drives slowly. The speed limit on our road is 55 mph, but he always drives really slow. Duke usually never paid attention to the cars driving by but he did to this one because I am sure he thought he was coming to "visit" so Duke must have gone to "greet" him. I didn't see what happened, but I did see immediately after he got hit, actually it took me a minute to realize he HAD been hit. He was jumping around, barking deeper than normal and I thought he was just excited about the car, but I was too late. He had already gotten too close. He ran up to me and then just collapsed by the sidewalk.
I immediately called Jim at work and he was on his way home. Then I called the vet and told them they were coming. Jim got home, put Duke in the truck and took off as I waited for my friend Angie to come and get Jimmy so I could then follow Jim. After Angie left with the baby I took off to the vet, which is about 20 minutes away. I was about halfway there when Jim called and said Duke was gone. He was about the leave the vet to bring him home to bury him so I went on home myself. I got home, Angie brought Jimmy back from their errands, and finally Jim returned with our sweet, forever sleeping pup. We cried (I probably shouldn't say that Jim cried, but he did, he will be so embarrassed if he reads this, Love you honey!) for a long time.
You see, we picked up Duke together when he was a puppy, brought him home to my house and he was like our kid. When I had to move out of my dad's into an apartment not allowing dogs, Duke went to live on Jim's grandpa's farm where Jim was living after college. They did everything together, he was pretty much Jim's dog after that. Once we got married and moved into our house, we were a family and I got my doggie back but he and Jim still had this awesome unbreakable bond. Jim always looked forward to cuddling with Duke when we went to bed. Sometimes Duke would even be under the covers with his little head sticking out at the top, too cute! I admit I was a bit jealous, but it was very sweet (again, he will prolly be embarrassed I am telling you this, he is quite the manly man!).
Duke was an amazing Aussie, he was so smart! He could turn the light off, shut the door, bring you stuff, put laundry in the dryer, throw trash away, he never chewed anything that wasn't his, he never dug up the yard or my flower beds, he would lay down and go to sleep when you told him it was bedtime, if he was licking himself he would stop if you told him to, he knew all kinds of tricks, he loved to catch the frisbee and fetch the ball and the big rubber horse ball, he loved chasing the 4-wheeler and playing in the creek, he stood still when it was time for his heartworm & flea medicine, he jumped in the bathtub when it was time for a bath, he stood still when hosed off, he shook his fur to dry off on command, he was the BEST watchdog and he loved all the farm animals. He was great with the cats and they all loved him. He was wonderful with Jimmy, letting him pull on him, brush him, pet him and even sit on him occasionally.
We loved our dog so very much and wish so so much that we had finally put up the fence across the front yard so we didn't have to worry about this very thing. We just hadn't gotten to it yet. The whole rest of the yard is fenced so it would not have taken much to do the front and install a gate at the driveway. I am so sorry I let my guard down this one time and let my sweet bubba doo (this pet name came from "puppy dog" I know, we are weird, but we loved our boy!) get hit. It only takes one time. I wish with all my heart he had just gotten hurt and we had time to "learn our lesson" and put the fence up. Please, if you have something you have been putting off that could save your sweet pet's (or child's even) life, please put it off no longer! I read a very sad story about a horse that had to be put down at Laughing Orca Ranch, the neighbor had a very short fence the horses could pretty much just step right over and they got out, one got hurt and had to be put down. You would think that after reading that and crying over that horse, I would have insisted that Jim put our fence up NOW, but I didn't. Ohhh how I wish I had! Our Duke would be right here with us, wandering around, panting, wanting to play ball, just wanting to be loved on. We miss you so much bubbas! That'll do bubs, that'll do!
Here is a video I took of Duke when he first learned how to close a door. I think this is from 2005, maybe early 2006. Please excuse my dirty room lol =)
In Loving Memory of Slick Silver Duke. January 27th 2003 - July 22, 2009. These 2 photos were taken the day before he got hit, I wanted a couple good pics of him so I could draw him. Now I will be doing a painting of our sweet boy.
We had a nice weekend celebrating our country's independence. Friday we had a family picnic and then went to the Cincinnati Reds ballgame (who lost to the Cardinals, booo!). Here a some pics from our evening at the ballpark.
The game started out with the National Anthem and a Bald Eagle flying from the outfield to the pitcher's mound. Unfortunately I did not have my camera out yet but it was a beautiful sight! Such a gorgeous, majestic bird, what a perfect symbol of our country.
Jimmy eating all of his cousin Conner's goldfish (daddy was getting food! Mommy just forgot to bring snacks....thanks for keeping the peace Aunt Mandy! lol)
First baseman Joey Votto, one of my current favorite players, he is such a cutie! ;-) No home runs tonight though.
Game Summary (photo courtesy of Mandy my sis in law)
A parachuting demonstration (don't ask me what they are called, I totally forget! Bad Ali!), we could see the plane above, the jumpers had sparklers so you could watch them coming down, and they landed right on the field. It was really neat!
Fireworks Intro (photo courtesy of Mandy again ;-) )
This was the kickoff to the fireworks, pretty cool. The guy had to start the fireworks with that box right in the middle of the ballfield.
Some bad pics of the fireworks, didn't get too many shots of them because.....
....I was holding this sweet little guy while he watched. He loved them and kept pointing to them, it was so cute!
I have to mention, it was also my grandparents 61st wedding anniversary! Here they are enjoying the fireworks =)
And by the time the finale came around, this is what Jimmy's little cousin Conner was doing. He slept right through the grand finale and it was loud & bright as day! ;-) (sorry lady's whose rear is in the photo lol) After such a big day, we actually didn't do much on Saturday. We went to the Americana Festival in my hometown around lunchtime and then went out to eat. Then we came home. We did some farm chores and rented a movie and had dinner, a nice and relaxing evening for the 4th of July. Even saw some fireworks out the window in the distance (crazy farm kids! ;-) )
Sunday we went over to my in-laws for a cookout lunch and then we ended up going over to my Dad & Kathy's again to pick up a horse. We are trading one of ours for one of theirs for a while, one, to have a horse we can actually RIDE, and two, to see if one of my "sisters" can ride Gunner and work with him a little bit since they know waay more about horses & training than we do. We borrowed their trailer (couldn't use ours because it is full of stuff that we took to the flea market lol) so we are taking Gunner over there tonight when we take the trailer back. Here is a pic of Mimsy the "ugly mare" they call her. She is named after Madam Mim from the Sword in the Stone movie. I don't think she is too ugly! ;-)
Well, thats it! I guess we had a pretty bust weekend afterall. But it was nice. I hope you all had a great weekend too (ha, now that is is Tuesday lol)! Have a great week!
We had a couple kittens show up in our pasture by the creek the other day. I went over to look at them, to make sure they weren't our kittens, and they were not. They were definitely siblings, but one was a lot smaller than the other. The little one allowed me to pick it up, but the bigger one was a little more scared. I looked around for any sign of a mama cat, but didn't see her. If she was there she must have been hiding.
I walked away to see what they would do and the little kitten started toward the road. I know there are cats that live across the street so I thought that must be where they came from. I kept an eye on the kitties to make sure they wouldn't get hit by a car. Sure enough, they were right by the road, on the bridge when I heard a car. Little kitten was about to go into the road so I ran over and scooped him up. The bigger kitten got scared of me and stayed off the road. I stood there while the car passed then put the little kitten down and backed away again. They finally made it across the bridge and street and went down into the grassy ditch.
I walked back toward the house and looked back to make sure they hadn't popped back up on the road when I saw the mama cat! Thank goodness! She grabbed the little kitten and the bigger one followed and the disappeared into the cornfield, on their way to the neighbors house as I had assumed. I wasn't close enough to be be able to tell, but the mama cat looked a lot like our cat Lila (Oreo's sister) that disappeared last year. Though wouldn't she have come out to greet me if it was her? hmmm...
This is the only decent pic I have with Lila in it. She is the brownish thing "above" Duke's head (can you tell Gunner is a bit nosey, but he likes other animals).
Here is a pic of Oreo & our horse Gunner for your visual enjoyment....
We had a pretty busy weekend. Friday I took Jimmy to a local dairy farm that sells ice cream and has a petting area where you can feed the goats and baby cows. They also have games like putt-putt and batting cages. It is open to the public and a wonderful place for the family to visit. Anyway, we met my good friend Joy Marie for lunch (they also have a restaurant). We had a wonderful time! Jimmy loved all the animals and the old tractors they have set up for kids to play on. Here is a pic of Jimmy and his lovely "Auntie" Joy:
Jimmy and the ducks: Jimmy really liked this cow (though he doesn't really look too thrilled in this pic! lol)
Then later on Friday afternoon/evening we spent some time in our barn with daddy.
On the 4-wheeler: Playing with the kittens: Look! Kitty in a bucket!And Kitty on the gate (he looks REALLY happy, lol): Daddy took Jimmy for a ride in the wheelbarrow:
That didn't last too long, so then Daddy showed Jimmy his own wheelbarrow and they pushed them around, except Jimmy didn't quite get that he was supposed to lift the handles, so he was trying to push and it was not moving very well.
Then Jimmy found an old corn stalk and proceeded to drag it around for at least 20 minutes! Ahhh, I love how easily amused he is =)
Saturday wasn't too eventful, Jim got his tags for the new truck and our roofer came and worked on the roof. I went over to Angie's house for a bit to "help" with the chicken coop for these guys (who are a bit larger now). Then we went to a graduation party. After we got home and the baby was in bed, Jim and I went out the barn and played a game of cornhole. I got my rear kicked. I am not very good at it, but that's ok, its fun!
Sunday we went to the dairy again! This time it was with Daddy for his company picnic. They have it there every year and it is a blast! I mean, who can pass up free food and free games?? Though we didn't do any of the games this year, gotta wait till Jimmy is older. So we went and saw the animals again =)
Mama and baby goat. Awwww!
And this goat:
Hmmm...I think I have seen this kid before (no pun intended lol!) and Jimmy "drove" the tractor again:
So, that was our weekend, along with a lot of working outside and some mowing. And now it is Monday night and I am off to bed!
Spring has Sprung!
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Lots of new happenings on the farm this week. Our new ducklings are on
their way today! They should arrive by Wednesday. I ordered Indian runner
ducks, blu...
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