Wren Hens

We have a family of House Wrens that have built a nest in a pitcher hanging off the back of our hose reel. I originally hung the pitcher there so I didn't have to lug the hose over if I was just watering our key lime tree. It was only there for a week or so before Makenna noticed it filling with sticks. She kept an eye on it then announced, "Mom, I think a bird is making a nest in that pitcher!" It seemed unlikely to me because it's in such a high traffic area on the side of our house. But, when I checked it, sure enough it was an official nest. I looked like a pile of sticks and grass, but if you looked closely you could see a tunnel down to the bottom. We quickly hung a bird house that Makenna had built and was in the process of decorating right near the pitcher. Our thought was that if we gave it a safer house to build in maybe it would actually not get frightened off, and also wouldn't abandon chicks or eggs should things get that far.

Shows you what we know....the birds have no interest in "our" nest spot, and proceeded to lay eggs ("Mom, you're not going to believe it, but I see Eggs in there!") and the eggs actually hatched ("MOM, there are baby birds in there!!!).

We've been watching these little guys and their lives and it's been so much fun and such a treat. We've all had a facefull of retreating Momma as we've tried to poke our heads in to check on them or get a better look. When they first hatched they were just hairless pink wonders and we all just couldn't believe that they actually made it that far. Now they lay in there quietly, heads close to the edge, waiting. If momma comes near it's peeppeeppeepeepepepeeeeeeep.

If you look at the picture above, you can see the mom ready to feed the little guys and they have their mouths wide open waiting. I was pretty lucky to get the shot. I had been looking at the nest with Jordan's camera, playing around, trying to see if I could get a good shot when she started coming around with their dinner. I stood still as could be and didn't move all the while holding the camera in the same position. When she got close the babies started their peeping and begging but when I took the photo she flew away. I left immediately so she could do her job but I'm so pleased with this shot.

It's been great. We love our little Wren Hens (as Makenna calls them).

Three Bad Backs and a Van

Today was yard sale day, a day debated over (is it good, fun, horrible, awful, a treat, a drudgery) by all family members. Makenna, Jordan and Amalie made homemade chocolate chip cookies and lemonade last night while we were at cafe da Vinci. Hard working girls!

It wasn't a huge success. The girls split the $15 in lemonade proceeds, and received $12.50 each for the yard sale. Usually they make a bit more, but like I said it wasn't that profitable. Makenna put her yard sale money in our Kayak Funds Jar and kept the lemonade profits.

We are, as a family, trying to save for a kayak. We're planning on buying a used tandem kayak. If you have any connections let us know!!

At the very end Rich and I were loading up our computer desk, disappointed that we didn't sell it, struggling to get it into the van, knowing a call to Dan (Heather's husband and our 3rd bad back) was going to be in order so we could borrow his bigger van, when a couple pulled up to the house. "You're not looking for a computer desk are you?" says I with my fingers turning red and a desk hanging out the back of a van "yup, exactly what we're here for." says they.

Unbelieveable!!!

And, he paid me $30 dollars for it.

Double bonus!

All in all, it was a good sale, mainly because the garage is clear of all of that stuff, which makes more room for my June project of cleaning out the garage an easier, more enjoyable thing. Makenna is doing Kids College for the month of June so that's what I have in mind for working on. It's a big project but Jordan swears she'll help. Yeah!

I had one of those moments yesterday when I was walking Jack. I was swinging his leash, just strolling along, walking because it was a beautiful night and the breeze was blowing. Makenna and I were chatting, mostly about nothing, just being together for the joy of it. It was one of those moments when I feel the connection with who I was as a kid, or a teenager, walking my dog, not much to do but whatever I want to do, and what I want to do is just walk along, and with who I am now, an adult, feeling very much like a very different person compared to then, but, yet, really, am I? I'm the same person, just grown up, having the same type of experience, many many years later. It's interesting to me how I feel this delineation of then and now, but there they are, side by side, one bringing me back to the other. These are just moments of awareness and yet they can be signposts, or lights shined on the pathway, or even touchstones.

Two Fat Bastards and an Old Dead Guy....ah the company I keep.

Tonite, Heather, Rich and I went to the Cafe da Vinci in Deland. If you went to Stetson University you would know where this is, or if you were on your way to New Smyrna Beach, then you would pass right through Deland on 44E. It's a cute, funky, hip little town that its locals seem to love and care deeply about.

We were in town for the Salvation Arty Returns event. 17 local artists used pieces of architectural salvage to make art in whatever way their heart desired. They had an opening reception tonight and the artists were there, along with the Wynn Brothers Band, an Orando band, who played outside. Cafe da Vinci has a fantastic outdoor seating courtyard area composed of salvaged slabs of marble, slate, tile, and miscellaneous other items for the flooring and old salvaged outdoor furniture, twinkly lights, and all sorts of lovely, homey, funky additions to make you feel like you never want to leave. This is where we saw the Avett Brothers after Suwannee Springfest.

Check out the kind of necklace I got from Jess, a great gal, talented artist and Wynn Brothers family member (by marriage, I think!). My necklace is black and tan and I love it. Go to her shop on Etsy, check out her myspace, enjoy her. She was great and her button necklaces are simple, but very mod, vintage-y looking. A great use for great buttons.

It was a nice night, well worth the 40 minute drive. Heather and I originally ordered Two Fat Bastards for ourselves, and an Old Dead Guy for Rich. Unfortunately, we ended up with some form of Shiray, since they were out of Two Fat Bastards. No mind, it was worth it to order that anyway, and I got a good title for this Blog Post!

Valentine's Day Heart Bookmark

Well, I've been noticing a distinct lack of creative show-n-tell in my blog. It was one of the reasons I wanted to have a blog, to show what I've been working on or been inspired by, etc. So, in light of that, here is what may seem like a blast from the not so distant past. This is the "Valentine" I made for my girls for Valentines day. My daughter girls and my girlfriend girls, too.

I found a knitted heart pin pattern from frugalhaus.com and turned it into my own little bookmark valentine. Aren't I crafty?

The pattern for the heart is at the bottom of the blog.

For the other parts of the heart, I used a really nice ribbon I found at the fabric store and sewed it to the bottom corner of the heart. I folded it over twice to tuck in the raw edge and bind it, then used a little button as a detail. Another option would be to sew the ribbon into the heart as you are sewing the two sides together. I wasn't ready with the ribbon and was involved with a little heart factory for a month or so to get all of these done so I didn't do it that way. But I might have if I had the chance to do it all over again. One note on ribbon, don't scrimp. I was making a lot of these and of course ribbon costs by the yard so maybe I did scrimp on a few of them. Bookmarks require length, so plan ahead.

I looked for some nice beads to add a bit weight to the end of the bookmark but was unable to find anything I really liked that didn't cost too much since I needed a lot of them. I think I made about 12 all together. What I came up with was making my own "beads" out of Sculpey clay. I bought on white and one glitter red, and out of that came pink. I made all sorts of different shapes for the beads; corkscrews, free form hearts, cubes, cylinders, etc. Then I used a straw to make the hole the correct size, baked 'em up, and cooled them down. Good to go.

Makenna's bookmark

Here are a few examples of what I made. Makenna's bookmark was made out of the yarn that she used to knit Grandma a scarf this Christmas. There was a bit left and I thought she'd like to have something special to remember that project by. This was the first full out gifty knitting project she ever finished and on a deadline, too! Go Makenna!

I used a cotton yarn for my bookmark which, in my opinion, did not work out as well. The hearts were nice, but a bit more woolly or fuzzy type yarn seems to work best. That's my bookmark on the lower right there, see what I mean? It's not as soft and lovely.

After I made all the bookmarks I taped them to a piece of heavy gauge watercolor paper and water colored my Valentine's message right on there. Voila! And that is my Heart Bookmark for Valentine's Day Project. Enjoy.

Knitted Heart
Ok, gauge, yarn and needle size are basically all variables that don't really matter here. Find a nice yarn in a color that seems like what you want. I didn't like the novelty hairy yarns, the heart gets a bit lost for my taste, but you may like it. Woolly or fuzzy work best.
Needles: any kind - single or double point sizes 2 or 5 - I used 3 needles for the top of the heart.
Yarn and needles will change the kind of heart and size of heart you like so just play a bit.

Directions:

Cast on 1 st.
Row 1: Knit into front and back and front of st., for 3 stitches
Row 2: (and all even rows) purl across.
Row 3: Knit into front and back of first st., K across to last st., knit into front and back of last st.
Row 4: Purl across
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until there are 11 sts. on the needle, ending on row 4.
Next row: Knit across, binding off center stitch, turn purl across 5 stitches, *turn, K 2 together, K 1, K 2 together, turn. Bind off.*
Join yarn at center (wrong side)and purl across
Repeat between *'s above.
Repeat from beginning to make another heart piece.

Finishing: Sew sides together, back to back, stockinette side out, stuffing lightly as you sew.