Mochi is No Longer :(

Hi! Hope you are having a fabulous week. We’re going camping with my family this weekend so I’m in the mist of writing list (yes I’m an obsessive list maker) and getting things ready to go. The weather is suppose to be nice so I’m looking forward to sitting back and enjoin the great outdoors!
I wanted to do a quick post to let you know that little Mochi past away last Friday. He died a few hours after I published a post about him. If you missed Mochi’s post click HERE. He’s death was completely out of the blue. He was fine and hopping around the house moments before. All of the sudden he started having what looked like seizures. He laid motionless until he died. It was sad and not something that’s easy to see.

I talked to Mochi’s breeder on Sunday and she said 3 other bunnies out of the litter of 7 passed. It’s sad to hear and I feel bad for their owners but I’m a little relieved to hear that it was not something I did. That would have broke my heart. Anywhoo, I’m fine. I miss the little guy and sad that he pass in such an awful way but I’m relieved that it didn't happen further into his lifetime….that would have been real hard. If you can’t tell by my ramblings I’m an animal lover so I love them like they are member of the family.
We have since brought home 2 new bunnies. I have not taken pictures of them yet but will soon and I may need your help thinking of names so be on the lookout for a bunny naming post.       

Meet the Little Guy that Stole my Heart

I just couldn’t help myself! He had my heart the second I laid eyes on him.
 

My Mom moved to what we call “The Farm” which is roughly 2 acres of land about a year ago. We just LOVE it! We have the best time hanging out on the property and enjoying the new animals she’s added to the family. Well, a few weeks ago her friend gave her a bunny as a gift. I fell in love with it…she’s a total snuggle bunny and loves to be around people. I decided that I MUST have one of my own but knew that Kent wouldn’t love the idea of a new pet so I decided I would buy it, keep it at my Mom’s place and take it home for a visit every now and then. I thought her bunny needed a friend!

We loaded up and headed over to pick out our new bunny. I called Kent (who was not with us) and told him that I was buying a bunny to keep at my Mom’s house. He was fine with it. Well, as soon as I saw the little guy my heart melted. I couldn’t leave him at my Mom’s, I wanted to take him home so I could snuggle with him. I think my Mom knew all along that I wouldn’t be able to part with the little sweetie.

To make a long story short this little guy now lives fulltime with Kent and I, he’s an inside pet, he’s moved into a bunny condo (which I made sure has wheels so i can tuck it away when we have company), the dogs are warming up nicely to him, and Kent talked me into getting another one so the little guy has a buddy to play with. I called the breeder and we’ll be brining home a second bunny in 2 weeks! I wasn't too crazy about getting another one but did a ton of research and talked to a few bunny owners and they’ve all told me that rabbits are active and enjoy having a friend to play with. What the hay….why not….right?

Who is this little guy?

*We named him Mochi, after the Japanese dessert.
*He’s a 6 week old Lionhead Bunny and will look something like this when he’s older, (different markings of course).

*Bunnies can be litter trained and are surprisingly clean animals. Many people let them roam their house. Mochi will be in a cage when he’s not supervised but when he gets bigger we’re going to fence in a little area in the house that will be safe for him to play in.
*Did you know that rabbits are the most common one pet in Japan? I had no idea but after doing a lot of research I can see why people are so crazy about them.

I’m really surprised how much Kent likes Mochi. He’s not ga-ga over him like I am but he does like him. I was floored when he suggested that we should get another one. He called me this week and asked me to bring Mochi up to his office….so silly! Mochi and I went on a little field trip to Kent’s work and the ladies loved him. A few ladies from his office are now getting bunnies too. I will say that buying a bunny should not be a split decision. If you deiced that you want to bring a bunny into your home be sure to do your research! They need to be on a special diet, and need lots attention. I’ve leaned more about rabbits this week then I ever thought possible. 

Spring Wreath

My front door has been naked since Christmas and in much need of a little love! I stopped by Hobby Lobby last week and picked up a few sprigs and feathers (50% off of course) to craft a new Spring wreath.
Wreaths are ones of those things that are easy to put together and much more affordable to craft than buy predone (in most cases). When starting a wreath I usually have a few things in mind….what type of look I’m going for, my budget for the project, and a few colors I would like to include in my wreath. This time I wanted something fresh and fun for Spring.

I love using grapevine wreaths. They are not very expensive and there are tons of little gaps that you can tuck things into. When creating your wreath take your ideas to the store and walk around a bit. I usually pick out a few things that I like and see where they take me. In this case I stated with the green leafy sprigs and went from there. Before I knew it the wreath took on a life of its own. Once I made my selection I walked over to the wreath section and laid my items out on a wreath to make sure I liked what I picked out. If your not carful when picking out your items it can get pricy so be sure that you keep a running total (if you’re on a budget).    
 
I played around a bit until I liked the look. No glue on this wreath. I just tucked and fastened a few items with brown pipe cleaners. I made a little hook out of a pipe cleaner on the back of the wreath so I could hang it on my door.
 
Here she is all done and ready to welcome Spring. I have wreath hook on my front door that I painted the same color as the the door so it doesn't stand out too much. 
I decided to add a raffia bow in the end. I just love raffia! I  always have some on hand. It’s great for crafting and gift wrapping.



 
Here’s another wreath I threw together for our back door. I bought the grapevine wreath at Goodwill for $1.00 stripped it necked and added a few things I had on hand (flower garland and a little bow fashioned out of scrap fabric). Not too bad for $1.00. It was raining out so I didn't get a picture of it hanging but it looks cute and cheerful. Next time your thrifting looking in the floral section. I’ve found some really great wreaths that were hiding under dusty old flowers. If the fame is in good condition you can pull all the ugly stuff off and add your twist to it! 
  


I'm linking up with:
Shabby Chic Cottage
Shabby Nest
Finding Fabulous
Embellished Bayou
Twice Remembered
Just a Girl

My 8 Year Old Niece (the photographer)

We took a little family field trip last weekend to the historic Swiss Ave in Dallas, Texas. If you missed the very picture heavy post on our lovely afternoon click HERE to read about it. During our little stroll I handed over my camera to my youngest niece and let her go to town. She did such a great job and proved to be a little photographer herself! I wanted to share a few of her pictures….they’re just too good not to brag about.

I wish I had an extra camera on hand to take pictures of her taking pictures. It was the cutest thing! She had a little stance going on even got 
fancy with her camera angles.

Can you see what she was trying to capture?

She took the next few pictures at the Swiss Ave. dog park. The dogs just loved her! They were smart and knew they could wiggle out under the fence and that’s just what they did when she walked up. She captured a few of the escapees in action.

Didn’t she do a great job?
She’s always such a good little model for me and as a reward I thought it would be fun for her to be on the other side of the camera. Looks like I was right because she had fun taking over the camera and we had a good chuckle watching her capture a few moments. I’m going to print her pictures out and start her a little photography album. I think it will be fun for her to look back at as she gets older and adds more pictures to it.

Tour Around Historic Swiss Avenue

The Swiss Avenue Historic District in Dallas Texas includes nearly 200 restored homes dating from the early 20^th century. I thought you might like to take a leisurely walk down Swiss Avenue as well so I brought my trusty camera along. I have quite a few pictures to share so grab a cold glass of southern sweet tea and settle in for the tour.

The street is lined with white picket fences that really
add to feel of the neighborhood.

I was in love with this quaint blue home! It was my 1st favorite. I say first because every time we walked to a new home I would say “Oh no, no, THIS one if my favorite!”. They were all so different and beautiful in their own way.

 







 

Not only were the homes beautiful the surrounding trees were amazing as well! I’m sure my family got tired of hearing me talk about how pretty the trees were.
Ah, they were just breath taking!

Just another sign that Spring is right around the corner! We had such a wonderful afternoon. If you live in the area I would highly recommend taking a little stroll around Swiss Avenue. They have a dog park as well as a people park ;o) right in the middle of the square so it would also be fun to take a little picnic. I will definitely be going back soon!  

I'm linking up with:
A Southern Daydreamer

Long Time No Talk, Uh I Mean Type

It’s been awhile since my last post and I’ve missed blogging more than I thought I would. Seriously, I did! Is that a sad? You may be surprised to know that I haven't completed a craft project, picked up a can of spray paint, or walked into Goodwill in weeks……ok not weeks (I went yesterday) but it sure feels like it. Things have been a little busy around here. My busyness is a good thing and in time I hope to share what I’ve been up to. If you follow me on Twitter your probably have a good idea and no I’m not pregnant. 
The weather in Texas is beautiful. The sun is shinning, the sky is bright blue. and I just can’t get enough of it. My family and I went to an historic district in Dallas yesterday and had the best time! I’ll be back tomorrow with TONS of pictures from our day.
In the mean time I would like to introduce a new family member………
  

  
              My sister-in-law Kim holding the new baby.

                      My niece Tori giving him some love.

 
You many remember meeting Ellie-Mae HERE. We found out that Ellie-Mae is not pregnant and thought she needed a little friend so my Mom brought baby Jethro home. Do you see trend in their names? Remember the show The Beverly Hillbillies? Ellie-Mae and Jethro were brother and sister on the show. I’m not loving the name Jethro so I call him Bubba J….still sounds pretty hilbillish.
And just to show you how silly my family can be I’ll leave you with one more picture.
 
Notice anything out of sorts? Look a little closer…….do you see it? That’s right it was opposite day. The goat got to go for a walk instead of the dog. At least we were precautious and abided the leash law!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Update 3-15-2010: I stand corrected! Jethro and Elly-Mae were cousins’ not brother and sister as I said above. And I do NOT have anything against hillbillies. I’m practically one myself; okay not really but I wouldn’t mind being one :o)

Craft Room Before and Afters

I recently put together a craft room using mainly thrift store goodies. I thought it would be fun to look at few of the before and after pictures.

Before

After a little spray paint, batting and fabric hot glued to the
back of the original print. A garage sale find turned into an inspiration board.

Before

After a little spray paint and fabric. Antique inspired frames
turned into wall decor.

After adding scrap book paper, and fabric. A Goodwill frame turned into a little workspace decoration.

Before

After a litter primer and spray paint.
A super cheap auction find turned into a an end table.

Before

After adding a drop cloth and hand stitching the sides for a more uniformed look. An old foldout table turned into a perfect craft table.