Animal Crackers - Happy New Year, Goodbye Gracie

Howdy - 

Well this week I had planned a year in review to show off some of my favorite photos of the year. But I think first of all I have to show one of my favorite photos - and say goodbye to Miss Gracie. 

I had chose this as a favorite photo from this year - I love my super model so much and her wonderful smile. Sadly we have had to say goodbye to her this holiday week. Perfectly normal week with her, smiling and running over for attention. Then she went to sleep one night and passed quietly. I am so going to miss this girl! My Special Super Model! But sadly it is going to be a rough year with a group of our goats. All now over the age of 12... and older. Its extremely hard - but we have been so blessed with this group of girls and they have been so fun and healthy - just a joy in our lives. Gracie we will miss you so much! Beautiful and Full of personality!

Now to the review of the year - and a few of my favorite photos we have snapped! 

 

We truly are blessed to have the life we have. These animals give so much joy. Now I am even more blessed that Hubby does pretty much all of the work for our fur kids - I just get the job of loving on them and occasionally getting the call to run out and hold something or someone while he is working.

These animals warm my heart and we love sharing them with you each week. I do hope that they bring you joy as well. We look forward to more furry love to share in 2024! 

Happy New Year - 

HUGS and

Animal Crackers - Merriest Christmas

Howdy - 

 As we like to do every year today I am sharing our family Christmas Card with all of you - 

We love you visiting each Saturday - hoping that our funny furry family brings you a smiles each week. 

Merry Christmas from all of us and we hope you have a very special blessed Christmas Holiday - and look forward to our time sharing in 2024!

HUGS an d

High Hopes Stamps - Snowman Dash

Howdy - 

 This week for High Hopes Stamps we have a little snow play going on! "Snowman Dash" is full of fun! 

Are these guys full of winter fun or what? I colored with my Copics (colors below). And then to add some shine I added Nuvo white for that snow feel. Fast Snow Feel! 

My pattern papers are all from Paper Studios. Love that piece of lace I cut from one pattern! Three Marvy Snowflake punches, and then the sentiment also from High Hopes Stamps "Dashing through the snow" Is perfect! 

Copic colors used - 

For all your winter fun images make sure to pop over to the High Hopes Stamps Web Store HERE and see all the fun going on! 

Have a blessed day - 

HUGS and

Animal Crackers - Front and Center

Howdy 

Cloudy day out with the fur kids this week. Miss Hannah was posing pretty for me. She is such a sweet girl. Now no worries this was just a pretty pose, she then trotted towards me for her normal pushy lovings.

She learned her "outgoing" personality from her BFF Juliet. Always pushing to front and center of course. 

No matter who is in her way,  being bigger than everyone else she just shoves until she is where she wants. 

I think Patti was screaming out tattling on her that she was up front first! 

 Yes ... It was very loud! 

Macie didn't care - she was too sleepy to bother with being upset about being shoved out of the way. 

Love Raffie watching from his pen. I am sure he would be front and center as well. Ok unless one of the girls had his attention instead. He would LOVE to be in the same pen with the ladies! 

Sergio was really pushing for his nose kisses. Ever since he was my orphan bottle baby he loves his nose kisses from adopted "Mommy" (me)  .... issue here Sergio - that nose is way too dirty for kisses! LOL
 

Now last week I showed off one of the outside boys Gray Beard.... His brother Orange wanted to pose for a nice photo this week.

I still can't touch Orange. He wants it so bad. But he LOVES to have conversations and purr while talking. Sweet guy and so close to some petting.

Had to show off one of Hubby's roses. Roses in December! 

He has gorgeous Roses blooming, Geraniums and even his Gerber Daisy's - Very pretty and nice this time of year. We have had our first freeze this last week. But thankfully it wasn't for very long and the grass and flowers are still doing great. As long as there is still grass growing green it saves on the hay bill! 

Hope you have beautiful weather where you are - and have furry friend to love on! 

Have a blessed weekend

HUGS and

High Hopes Stamps - Father Time & Baby New Year

Howdy - 

Can you believe we are almost 1/2 way through December? Christmas is coming quick and then the New Year! So for today's card I decided to have some fun with one of my favorite New Year images! High Hopes Stamps Father Time & Baby New Year - so precious!  Love Baby New Year's Cheeks!

 

 I colored with my Copics and then went to find papers. Backwards from how I normally do things, but just happened that way. But while digging I found some perfect papers from K-Ology K & Company. Love that sage green color. Matched up with kraft card stock for the base I cut out and layered the patterns. Adding a white lace punch from EK Success band top and bottom of the stripe paper. 

The sentiment "Happy New Year" is also from High Hopes Stamps. In one of my favorite fonts. 

Copic colors used - 

 Time sure has flown by this year. Can't believe it is time again for New Year cards already. Here comes 2024! 

For lots of perfect images for you cards pop over to the High Hopes Stamps Web Store HERE - 

Hope you have a wonderfully blessed day - 

HUGS and

Animal Crackers - Resting on a friend

Howdy - 

Visiting the Ladies yesterday - they were really interested in food and Dad was running late to feed. But I did get some attention and ear scratches before he came out. 

Irene seemed to be in the middle of everything. Seems she was the donkey to be leaning on -  resting on a friend for sure!

 

She is a good height - Juliet and Irene are good buddies and together a lot of the time. But then again Juliet thinks she is in charge of all the ladies. Like they are "her girls" She is such a sweet BIG Girl herself. 

Now this photo you have to take a second look at... LOL Very odd head position there and made me look again for sure! That is Vicki resting her head on Irene now!

 

 

Really cracks me up how strange that photo is - I am use to the close up long ears!  Not the head on backwards photo!

 

Fancy is great at the ears pose!

Ouch Loud Hee Haw right in my ear! Jolene seemed to think I was being rude taking photos and not feeding them. And she let me know it big time! 

OH Irene finally got to rest on someone herself! She was leaning over on Macey - But at this point I was loosing them all. 

Here comes "Dad" from the house to feed... Yep no more photos of the donkeys now! 

On my way back towards the house I tried and tried to get my sweet Penelope's attention... she would barely even give me a glance. 

 

I can just hear her... "Sorry Mom but these weeds are coming through the fence in the wind, if I don't eat them someone else will notice and get them instead!!" She was one busy serious eater! 

 

Snapped a photo of how big the outside boys are getting now. There are three of them and they are usually never very far. Grey Beard the Pirate (Hubby named him... sigh) Grey Beard is usually always near the back porch in the backyard. 

 

His brothers Orange and Tangerine venture out a bit more... they follow their Mom at times and she wanders way off. But at least I don't have to worry about more kittens from her now. Fixed and all Good! Still pretty skittish from us - but we did trap her in a cage haul her off and she spent a week getting her turn to get fixed. But she is home and back to her own happy spots now. 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend - gunna get cold here this weekend. Our first real chance for a freeze. I am hoping we miss it as all this green grass to too much of a blessing for the fur kids to eat so late in the year. But it is December so we are past due - 

HUGS and -

 

High Hopes Stamps - Let Us Adore Him

Howdy - 

This week for High Hopes Stamps I chose a sweet image - with a great sentiment. I hummed the entire time I was putting this one together. This image is "Let Us Adore Him"

Sweet image! And I just love the sentiment also from High Hopes Stamps "Let Heaven and Nature Sing!" 

I colored with my Copics (colors below) and found papers from Pink Paisley papers deep in my stash. They are all stacked up on kraft card stock for a base. A simple card - and I wanted something just a little additional but really didn't want bling or flashy on this one. I went digging deep in my drawers and found this cute little Fiskars punch of a music note! That fits perfect with my sentiment and my humming going on! 

Copic colors used - 

Simple card and I missed my sewing machine with this one. Sigh... its on the fritz again. I need to do some internal cleaning on it. Seems all my paper sewing does build up some fuzz inside and I just need the time to clean it. Time... uh right. 

Hope you enjoyed my card - and please pop over to High Hopes Stamps website and see all the glorious images to play with! You will love them... and fill a cart fast I am sure! 

Have a blessed day - 

HUGS and
 

Animal Crackers - Tribute to Ellie

Howdy - 

Sad hearts around here this week. Ellie went to sleep one night last week, and never woke up. She has been getting slower, not eating as much and just not feeling well. Was doing a little better then went down hill fast. Old age does that I suppose. 

One of our first donkeys all those years ago and a huge personality she will be missed horribly. 

 

 

A beautiful girl, that we purchased looking forward to her having the same beautiful babies as her. BIG eyes, Long ears, and a scream that you knew across the entire property. She sounded like a screaming toddler. A very very loud screaming toddler. Neighbors would even comment about the child screaming. Sadly she was never able to get bred. But she was still an important part our family. 

 

The hardest part about raising our fur children is loosing them. And so many of our kids are getting pretty old. Ellie Mae was mid 20's - that is pretty good for a donkey. They can live much longer... look at Darlene now over 32. But as we all know everyone is not the same. But it is still hard loosing one of our fur kids. 

Ellie Mae was always wonderful with her fur. She would get so furry in the winter, and then totally slick off like a super model.

She was a big heart in our family - Center stage in all the girls.

She was also a great Guard Donkey - Always watching and listening and at alert when she felt something was off -

Our hearts break loosing any of our kids - but loosing one of our first really does hurt deep. Hubby really had a special bond with Ellie. When we first got her she loved for him to stand over her like he was riding her. I always laughed... if he really did ever sit down on her that would be one wild ride.

We will miss you Miss Ellie <3 - And feel blessed that you were part of our family - 

HUGS and have a blessed weekend -