"Pinkies Out"

is the new slogan for the most daring adventurers, I believe.

Jedi and Cardman had a fabulous time "adventuring" like Indie at the Ranch last Weds. They found an old bit of twine and they were set for 2 hours.

Best pals.

My children are very cautious about EVERYTHING. Their every action is deliberate and s-l-o-w. Their infant nicknames reflected this...Jedi was formerly Turtle and Baby was Slugbaby. This timidness is something I don't understand. I was always ready to try something daring, move fast and never, ever give up as a child. While I'm glad they're cautious before crossing a street or making sure their belts are buckled I want to scream, "RUN!", when they are faced with an open field of grass or "JUMP" when they reach the end of the dock. So, I can't tell you how proud I was when I turned around and caught this shot of Jedi jumping off of a 5 foot embankment.

Farmgirl also surprised me a couple weeks ago when she was nearly bucked off a very upset horse. She was back up there the next week and worked extremely hard at her technique...a great improvement and a much needed boost to her confidence.

Cairn he get any cuter???

Please meet our newest family member...Finn. Isn't he toto-ally adorable??? He's so scruffy and funny. I've been having a blast watching him just walk around like he's the king of the castle.


Farmgirl has been the absolute best about taking Finn on his many many, MANY potty breaks. did I mention he takes a ton of potty breaks? like every 15 minutes, potty breaks. She's the best kid ever!

Ken acts as if he isn't totally in love but I catch him giggling at Finn every couple hours...if they're not snoozing together that is.

He's doing beautifully with his crate training. He's sleeping through the night...woo hoo. It took me 12 months to get my children to do that! Took Finn one night. All in all a pretty good start to his home here. I'm sure there will be flowers dug up, shoes chewed to bits, a favorite book shredded...a small price to pay for that cute little scruff of a dog.

Tea Time

My sweet little cousin is getting married in August. We are so very excited for her. Last weekend her bridal shower was held at a local bed and breakfast. We had such a wonderful time. It was a formal tea, which meant dresses and hats! Above are my mom and girls. That black thing Baby is clutching...her beloved Datty (kitty). It goes EVERYWHERE with her. Below is my niece, Tumbles. She is wearing a gorgeous dress made by my sis from vintage voile. She looks so darling.




and here is the bride to be...Kristin. Loved her hat and retro shoes!


My Aunt Bonnie did a fabulous job on the shower. Here she is taking tea orders for tea and punch. Baby adores her Great Aunt Bonnie.

The Cat Whisperer

We had a wonderful afternoon at the riding stables. Here my nephew, Cardman, uses his super powers to lure in all the barn cats. They followed him all afternoon! I think he had tuna in his pocket. We also saw the 4 day old kittens...cute.

Farmgirl thoroughly enjoyed her lessons. She got to try cantering today...quite bouncy, I think. She also rode bareback for 1/2 hr or so. She loved that. Next week all the cousins get to go for a mini lesson. The boys are especially excited.

Could it be...

that Spring has finally come to Northern Michigan? Just in time for Summer! We had a beautiful day on Monday so we headed to our favorite park to meet up with the cousins. We brought some lunch and had a picnic. It has been a pretty crummy spring this year as far as weather goes. I'm hoping summer kicks it up a notch and we can spend a lot of time on the boat.

I've been busy trying to get ready for a craft show on the 14th. Nothing like waiting till the last minute to turn out a bunch of product ;-) Simplicity is going to be the key this summer to craft shows. I'm going to eliminate the bells and whistles to keep cost down. Hopefully, that will boost the sales.

We're off to riding lessons. We LOVE the new instructor. She is fabulous with Farmgirl and runs a clean stable. I'm hoping to get some good shots today to share.