Maddie's quilt...

So, my youngest sister, Chrissy, is a VERY talented classical concert pianist, composer, music teacher and first-time-mom-to-be! I am SO excited to FINALLY be "Aunt Angie" (on my side of the family tree :) We found out a few months back that "it" is a "she" and her name will be Madeline Joy Lindine, after our wonderful Nanny (maternal grandmother, Madeline, who passed away, November 8, 2009) and our Aunt (Joy)! I couldn't be happier for my little sister and her wonderful husband.

Our Nanny sure would be proud too! She was THE best...an Italian "Yankee" (Lord, she would tan my hide for calling her that :) from New York.  While, us girls were born and raised "down here" in the South and while I am VERY proud of that fact and my accent *lol*, my Nana was just as proud of being a New York Italian! That little pint-sized woman had more fiestiness in her little pinky than most people have in their entire body...oh, the stories I could tell! I might just have to share a few of them here from time to time! She was a hard-worker, who loved and lived for her grandchildren (she practically raised us), didn't take NO backtalk, could catch and (would) whip you, drove like a "bat-outa-hell"....and Lord, have mercy, the woman could cook...especially her "Italian" spaghetti with meatballs and sweet Italian sausage in marinara **hhmmm hhmmm* Thankfully, she passed down her "secret" meatball and sauce recipe down to me. :) She was brutally honest, military strict and loved us beyond means...

There is not a single day that goes by that I don't miss my Nanny.  I am thankful she saw me get married and all three of my children born.  I miss her terribly and am so happy there will be another "Maddie" in the family. Nanny was THE best...I want to be just like her when I grow up :)

So, here is the baby quilt and some of the burp cloths I made for my niece (due in June...the week of Nanny's birthday!).

And here is my Nanny, Madeline M. Mastroianni LaGois pictured below with my Pop, George John Lagois about 1949-1950, upstate New York.

Farm in Florida, Sept. 1975

Yep, holding ME *haha* 1976.

So, if you have that special someone still in your life...go hug her (or his) neck for me...one day, they won't be here on earth for you to do it... but you can find comfort in them looking down on you from heaven.  Love ya, Nanny! *hugs*

BFF's Birthday!

Last week, was my BFFs birthday...she is also a quilter/crafter (and a very good one I might add)...she is President of our quilting guild, has her own blog, Mrs. Sew and Sew, and is just an amazing person.    Some may consider her outspoken...I consider her honest...and that is refreshing. So many people today will "tiptoe" around their feelings...well, when I need an honest answer without the "sugar coating"...she is my "go to" person :) Why? Because I know that she truly cares about me and tells it like it really is...something that is lost in most friendships today. 

We both have a passion (aka obession) with vintage sewing items...especially, Singer Featherweights.  We each have one and sew on them regularly.  For everyone that has one of these gems, ya'll know how dusty it can get between projects...you don't want to drag out that ol' black case and hide your little Featherweight in there...so, I decided the perfect gift for my bestie would be a cover for her machine...and viola` here it is.

It is an "Angie orginal" (aka: design and sew as you go along pattern) *haha* I personally, think it turned out pretty darn good...the best part is, Michelle loved it! :) When I showed it to my dear husband he asked if I was going to make one for myself...well of course...just as soon as I figure out exactly how I made THIS one :)

New bunnies in the barn...

Our latest addition, DRU Mary's HeHops, an awesome sable point buck.  I've admired Mr. HeHops for quite sometime and was very fortunate to be able to bring him home to Boxwood Acres.  He throws some beautiful babies, is very sweet and loves the ladies *lol* So, a very big "Thank you" to my friend Lisa Reynolds from Southern Treasures Rabbitry for parting with him!

Thought ya'll might enjoy seeing a picture of our latest litter.  These are Holland Lop kits at 3 wks old...all black torts.  So cute!

Wash. Co. Youth Fair...

Well another great Washington Co. Youth Fair!  Our 6 year old daughter, Sarah, did great and sure enjoyed showing off her critters. 
Standard Black Cochin hen "Jade" - Blue
SSB Holland Lop "Blackjack" - Blue
Silkie blue hen "Thelma Harper" (momma named that one :) - Red
Silkie white hen "Snowball" - Red
dozen farm fresh eggs - Red

I believe the fair had more poultry and rabbit enteries than last year! It is wonderful to see kids getting involved in 4H and the care of pets and livestock.  I hope we have twice as many enteries next year...working on getting goat showmanship started!

Recipe for home made laundry detergent.

Wow! Three posts in one day.  *lol* Several friends have asked us how we make our laundry detergent...a few have even made it and are using it.  So far, everyone has loved it and not looked back! Thought I would share it here...please note, there are several versions of this recipe...we tweaked ours to what works best for us.  I will say that this is safe and much better for your washing machine than store bought detergents...it will not get all bubbly (bubbles are not actually cleaning your clothes...they are more of a "wow" factor) :)

We purchase our supplies about twice a year and spend an approx. total of $23 per year!!! That is much better than $25 per month! There are 5 of us, 3 of which are kids, so, I wash ALOT! I make up a 5 gallon bucket and wash clothes every day (not to mention towels and bedsheets every week)...so I say on average, a 5 gallon bucket of liquid detergent will last me about 3 months! So, I make about 4 batches per year and have been doing this for 3 years now.  Will NEVER go back to store-bought detergents.

Another reason, why I make my own, is skin allergies. My husband and daughter have very sensitive skin and could only use one store bought brand...now, that I make our own, they have not had any skin irritations.  We believe it is due to the fact that no perfumes, preservative or unnessecary "wow" factors are added.

So, here is the liquid version...again, we have "tweaked" ours to suit our needs...and this list below is to make one 5 gallon batch (we buy enough ingredients to last us 6-12 months).

2 cups Twenty Mule Team Borax powder
2 cups Washing Soda (we use Arm & Hammer)
1 1/2 bars Fels Napa Soap OR Ivory Soap OR Colgate laundry soap
 (we like the Fels Napa or Ivory the best)
1 bottle of liquid incense oil (just a few drops...what they use to fragrant soaps and candles..the
  lavendar is esp. nice)
5 gallon bucket with lid

First, grate your soap using a cheese grater...add to a med/large pot and fill with water. Cook on med. watching and stirring constantly until all the soap pieces have completely melted. Set aside. Take your 5 gallon bucket and poor the melted soap in, add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of Borax powder and the same of washing powder...stir well! Now, start adding hot tap water to the bucket all the way up to the fill line. Stir well!!! Now snap the cover on and let it sit covered overnight.  The next day, get yourself a "stir stick"...something long enough to reach the bottom of the bucket and that you can keep in your wash room next to it. You will need to stir it up before each use. It is now "gel like"...this is why you need to stir it each time. Now you can add your fragrance drops...just a few...maybe 5-10 drops is all you need. Stir well and now you are ready to try it out. I keep a plastic cup and use half for a smaller load and a full cup for really large and/or extra dirty loads.

**Please note, I highly recommened adding water to your wash tub and then adding your laundry detergent...swish it around with your hands some and then let it fill up BEFORE adding your clothes. You don't want the detergent to sit on dry clothes..the borax powder can cause white spotting if added ontop of dry clothes and left to sit** This is what I found out the hard way, when first using it :)

Ya'll feel free to comment and let me know how you like it. It really does not take that long and saves you lots of money! The picture of the bucket above is about 2/3 full...I meant to take a picture when I first made it! :)

Thankful....

Enjoyed an especially nice, simple weekend with my husband and kids. The weather was so nice..in the low 70s with a cool breeze and a beautiful blue sky. While I fed the critters, hubby helped the kids fly a jumbo styrofoam jet (yes, it got stuck in a tree). When we were finished, the girls went out to the driveway to collect "pretty rocks" for their dirt castles **lol** while, husband and I sat down in a small clearing to watch the girls play. We laid back with our arms behind our heads and just admired the beautiful blue sky and reflected on our life together and all GOD has blessed us with.

No, we don't live in a big house...but its our home. We don't drive expensive, fancy cars...but ours still run and they're paid off. We don't have tons of money and pretty much live paycheck to paycheck...but we work hard and appreciate all we do have...don't live beyond our means. We live simply and love our life. We thank HIM for our friendship and marriage, our 3 beautiful healthy children, and home.

Sometimes, people just need to stop, lay back and look all around at what GOD has given and not what he hasn't. We may not understand now or tomorrow, but there is a reason for everything that happens...GOD has a plan...we just need to stop, listen and follow his word.

Terrible at blogging...

Ok, ya'll have to apologize again for not posting more frequently...I have all these things tagged and written down to post over the past several weeks and just haven't taken the time. Going to try harder.

Holidays were great...nice and quiet (as quiet can be with three young children hyped up on Christmas cheer) but all in all, a wonderful time here at home!

Waiting to see if Mother Nature is going to let spring stay or if winter is going to creap back in. I am SOO ready for some consistent mildly warm weather, spring planting, cleaning and chicks!  Not to mention getting our new Nigerian Dwarf buck that is due in May! Can't wait!

New babies!

We had another litter of Holland Lop kits (babies) born last night!  **woohoo** I am doing the bunny dance! This is a first time momma and she is doing a great job...not a real big doe but she had four.  One was stillborn but she has 2 black and 1 black tort...they are cute and fat.  Momma and babies are doing great. Will post pics soon. Blessings, Angie

Sarah's Quilt

We have the sweetest kids in the world...really, we do! Of course, we are slightly bias but they are really good kids and we could not be more proud of them.  While they each have they own personalities and "ways" about them...Sarah is our "sweet" child.  She is only 6 but is very polite, sweet, smart and usually thinks of others before herself. 

One example of her actions was Halloween when we went Trick-or-Treating with friends on a hayride.  My husband, son Nate (who has autism and does not like load noise/ & crowds but LOVES candy) and myself followed the hay wagon in our car, to make sure some unconsiderate motorist didn't tailgate/run up on them. Anway, after a few houses, Nate decided he didn't want to get out anymore, so he sat in the back eating his stash (his bucket was already filled after 3 houses!? He was the oldest kid and the last to go...well that has it perks...he got EVERYTHING that was left as no one wanted to keep it in their homes...he made out like a candy-bandit) **LOL**

We continue to follow the wagon, where our two daughters, Sarah, and her little sister, Samantha (2.11 yrs) were riding.  I started to notice that Sarah would run up to the house, get her take, run back to the wagon and then turn around and go back up to this house?! I was starting to get a little upset that she was "double dipping", so I got out, called her over and looked in her bucket...that thing was overflowing and must have weight 5 lbs! I knealed down and gently asked, "Sarah, why do you keep going back up to the houses...your bucket so full?"  She looked at me and said, "Momma, this isn't all mine...I got my candy this first time up and then thought of Nate and ran back up to get some for my brother...see I got him two cans of playdough...I know how much he loves it."  All, I could do was hug that sweet little thing!

Oh, and you have to hear her pray! It will melt your heart. I got to church early one night to pick her up and stood quitely in the background, as they asked who would like to say the closing prayer. Much to my surprise, Sarah's hand shot up like a rocket...she was the ONLY child who offered to pray...most were too shy.  Well, I got to hear her pray for the first time away from home...my heart swelled with pride, while silent tears fell down my face. She thanked God for all her friends, her mommy, daddy, sister and brother, all her pets and her little friend, Jansen, who had a tummyach that night.  Then she closed by thanking God for giving us his son to die for all our sins...and then said, "Please tell Jesus thank you and I love him".  WOW! Why can't adults be so thankful and sincere.

Here is a picture of the quilt I made for Sarah for her 6th birthday (well, she actually got it a few months after). It is a "quilt as you go" type quilt, using handy little tool called the "Batting Buddy"...this is a great step for those that are wanting to quilt some of their own quilts on their home machines...perfect for crib, lap and twin size! (you can quilt larger quilts but it can get a little heavy/bulky...more on that later).  I kinda used a pattern for the outside of the quilt...almost like a border and then decided I wanted to embroider the 24 middle blocks with designs that were all Sarah...there is a poodle block, complete with her puppy's name, Ginger, on it...a bunny block that says "Hoppy Kisses" (that is a special little saying between me and Sarah),  Noah's Ark and some of her favorite animals, kitten, ballerina, princess, castle unicorn, pony, crown, cross and two of her favorite Bible verses from school last year...oh and a few of her favorite Disney Princesses! All, done with fabrics in PINK! (with a little purple thrown in). :) She loved it and sleeps under it everynight!

Thanks for letting me share a few special stories about one of my very special kids. Now, off to pick out 24 designs that scream Samantha!

God Bless,
Angie

Busy...busy...busy!

   Another great weekend here at home...lots to keep me busy.  Saturday I was able to worm and get our goats hooves trimmed...first time I have ever attempted this and truthfully, it wasn't too bad...much, much easier than trying to trim horses! **LOL** One of our does, just layed right down in front of my husband and closed her eyes while he rubbed her tummy and I trimmed her hooves! I guess that makes him the Goat Whisperer! :)

   Worked on the future "Bunny barn" too! Got most of the dirt-daber nests knocked down and swept out...tossed out some trash and decided how I might set up the cages.  I may wait to move the Hollands until all the litters are born and weaned...don't want to traumitize anyone right now.

   Goats are SO cool...most people don't realize how smart, cute and funny these little clowns can be...it is like having your very own circus in your backyard!  They never cease to make me smile. Hubby has promised to get me a buck for my birthday this spring...so maybe, we will have goat kids here next fall...and some fresh milk, cheese, soap and ice-cream! **woohoo** I'm going to need a few more does....
Here are a few pics of our Nigerian Dwarf does..the tan/white paint is "Tinkerbell" (aka, the ring leader, Ms. Nosey, Ms. Bossy and PITA)...the B/W dalmation spotted is "Gypsy Rose" (aka, sweetie, momma's girl, Ms. Nosey II and No-don't-eat-my-shrit) **LOL**

Blessings, Angie

**WARNING** New applique embroidery addiction...

I LOVE to machine embroider! I am self-taught (graduated from the school of Trial-n-Error *lol*) and have been machine embroidering burp cloths for family, friends and customers this past year.. but I have never tried applique embroidery...until this week, and I must say, I am ADDICTED! It is soo easy and fun to do...and I LOVE to be able to rummage around through my scraps to find that perfect piece.  Here are some pictures of the very first ones I did for a customer in Tennessee! Hate to toot my own horn, but **toot toot** they turned out great!
So, if you have never tried applique embroidery and have lots of fabric scraps, I HIGHLY recommend you try it.  If you are a "visual learner", like I am, then watch some video tutorials online at places like Youtube.
Oh, and the only tool/notion I recommend having for applique embroider, is a pair of applique (aka "duckbill") scissors...these will help you get VERY close to the fabric when you trim it away from the hoop, without fear of cutting through your background/materials.

Have to give a shout-out to two of my very favorite places to download embroidery:

BunnyCup Embroidery
**Alesha has the cutest embroidery designs with a touch of whimsy and they stitch out perfectly! Different sales are offered each month, so be sure to sign up for the Bunnycup Newsletter.**

BC Embrotique
**Love the large selection of fonts and frames! Also, offered are adorable and unique seasonal designs and "In the Hoop" projects. Again, these designs stitch out perfectly!**
Remember: Sit back, relax and HAVE FUN!
Blessings,
Angie

Boxwood Babies...

We have FINALLY had a successful and live litter born here at Boxwood Acres...one plump and healthy Holland Lop kit! **yay** It is a broken tort (the term "broken" refers to white and another color)...I am hoping for a really nice doe, so I can keep her and retire her momma, Charity (broken tort).  The sire is one of our best herd bucks, Raney's Blackjack (black) out of Schwandt's Last Bean (26th SSB  out of 199 at the 2008 ARBA Convention!).  Since "it" was born on Halloween morning and is mostly white, I think we should name it Boxwood's Ghost.
Here is a picture of Charity and her nesting box...you can't see the kit, as she had pilled all her fur on top to keep it warm.
Hoping for more litters next week and the week after Thanksgiving....more pics to come soon.
Makes you think...isn't God amazing?
God Bless,

Angie

Rain **aahh** and harmony

  Thank you Lord for the rain we received yesterday, last night and today! We sure needed it! Need lots more but am thankful for what we did get.
  Picked some peas and butterbeans today...put them in the fridge and will shell them tomorrow...too darn tired tonight.  Got the goats wormed, Ben (our Labrador) bathed and groomed, and finished up some custom embroidered burp cloths for a wonderful family friend that just had their first baby!
  All the chicks are doing great...the little Buff Orpington with the wound is doing much better and should make a full recovery. 
  Deperately need to make a trip to Jeffers (pet supply) next weekend and purchase at least one rabbit cage, hoof clippers and a new toy for Ben!

  Oh, and we found a great home for our 1 1/2 yr. old Boston Terrier (Brody)...I sure hated to see the little guy go (had guilty second thoughts there for a while...esp. since he was a Christmas surprise from my wonderful husband), but Brody just did NOT fit in with our household...Our Lab (Ben)  and Poodle (Ginger) are older and very laid back and Brody consistently jumped/knawed/nipped/licked on them no matter how much they growled/snipped at him...I was so worried one of them would "snap" one day and eat him up. AND fast...the little guy was like a bullet...very sweet and smart just HYPER.  No amount of training we did worked when he was around the other critters...if you had him by himself, he was very attentive.   Basically, there was NO harmony in the house, so something had to be done...he now has a nice home with an older couple and is getting all the individual attention and love he can stand.    Good luck with your new life little Bro-Man...we'll be keeping in touch! 
  So, we have come to the conclusion that although Boston Terriers are cute and little , they are just not the breed for us. I hate to give an animal away...always worry that someone won't take care of them like I do but sometimes you have to make tough decisions that make situations better for all in the long run. Ben and Ginger are happy tonight...harmony has been restored!

Heartaches on the farm...

Well, today was not a good day for critters :(  Our long awaited first litter of Holland Lops to be born in our rabbitry was delivered sometime in the middle of the night...1 stillborn.  I figure it was the stress of the heat and the fact that we used a first-timer buck...and only bred them once. Several top-notch breeders recommend rebreeding right away (and multiple times) to ensure a large litter but I just can't bring myself to do that right now in this relentless heart and humidity!  And not too sure, if our buck is even able to...with all this heat, he may be sterile until fall. 
   So, we will give all the bunnies a nice break and let them try to stay cool.  We will start breeding again in the fall and will hopefully be blessed with nice, large, healthy litters of adorable fuzz!
  We also lost 2 of the older pullets and 1 is wounded.  Sometime tried to get into their pen and/or snatch them throught the wire.  One Buff Orpington pullet was just gone...one Rhode Island Red (RIR) was mortally wounded and another Buff has a small puncture wound, which I treated and she should be ok. :) 
  I figure it was either a stray cat, coon or possum...leaning towards the cat...or cat keeps most critters run off, however she is getting older and there is good size tom cat that she has a little trouble handling.
  We decided to move the pullets from their "biddie pen" into the Big coop with all the other chickens.  We enclose the bottom underneath the coop with chicken wire and turned them loose.  The older hens can't get to them and neither can any other critters :)
  Hope everyone else is having a good week. Blessings,  ~ Angie

More chicks...

   Hubby brought home 6 more Buff Orpingtons (st. run) and 4 Rhode Island Red (pullets) today!  They are a bit older than our other biddies...in fact, they are probably a little more than a month old...they are in the gawky "dinosaur-looking" stage.
   They are out in our "biddie pen" (a converted 10'x10' dog kennel wrap in chicken wire) and having a good ol' time.  They love the igloo doghouse!

   I sure love my chickens.

New Chicks are here!

We got our new chicks in the mail ! We received 5 Buff Orpington pullets (for those of you not familiar with chickens...a pullet is a "girl" chicken not yet of age to lay eggs in chicken-lingo) 1 Buff Orpington cockerel (chicken-lingo..a "boy" chicken not yet matured), 5 Blue Cochin pullets and 5 Silkie Bantams...3 white pullets, 1 white cockerel, 2 blue pullets. I just love chicks! They make the cutest "peep..peep" and are so darn cute.  Not to mention, I love the old heritage breeds and "fluffy-butt" chickens! :D

    Our daughter, Sarah, has now put our bunnies to the side and is spending all her time with the chicks.  One dark blue (almost black) Silkie Bantam in particular.  Now, she wanted the white ones...even had them "pre-named"...PuffBall, SnowBall, & CottonBall...they now take the backseat to the Blue Silkies, (which I orginally wanted/asked for).  But, at least she is excited about them...the Silkies were ordered for her anyway (more or less :) to show in 4H.
    Sarah is very good and gentle with our critters and loves to spend time with them...so much like her momma.  Samantha, our youngest daughter, is a whole different ballgame.  She is better suited to play with large, less delicate critters like rhinos and tigers...some that have a better chance of holding their own with her **LOL**
    And of course, our son Nate, had to sit down and count each chick over and over again. ..."one chicken, two chicken, three chicken..."...etc. I think it is the sound they make that intrigues him.
 
     Well, after getting them setup with starter feed, little sugar water and heat lamps, they are all doing good and seem healthy.  This was our first time ordering from My Pet Chicken and thus far, I am very pleased and plan on ordering from them again next year!  I like that you do not have to order a minimum of some outrageous number (like 25) of each breed and that you can specify pullets, cockerels or straight run (unsexed chicks in chicken-lingo)...this way there are no suprises (like ending up with a dozen cockerels) and I know exactly what  I'm getting. Plus, the shipping was super fast on these...they were hatched out and shipped on Monday evening and we received them on Wed. morning! That is less than 48 hours in transit...perfect for newborn chicks! So, here's a BIG ol' "THANK YOU" to My Pet Chicken for an awesome order! :)

New Blogger on the Block...

   Ok...I reckon I will give this "blogging" a try.  Would rather write on my own blog and website than "update" on facebook and that "twitter-thing" anyway **lol** 
   I don't really have a set theme for my blog, but would rather just write about my day/week, or random personal thoughts and various experiences...some blogs may just be about how much I love being a mom, or tips on pet care...our new adventures with goats...maybe  gardening and homesteading...or my passion with quilting & sewing...thoughts on a book I have recently read...my new addiction in raising/showing holland lop bunnies or maybe just sharing personal experiences or loving and living with a child with autism...oh, and NCAA football season is coming...gotta put a plug-in for our Florida State Seminoles...Go NOLES!!! Basically, whatever comes to my mind when I feel the need to "blog".
    Thanks and God Bless!  ~Angie