Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

sheep

The Adventures

Every day is an adventure. I share the view, the gratitude and the news  on Fridays – you’re invited to join in. You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

The view

Finally found peonies for sale! (Trader Joe's AVL) #nofilter because they don't need it! #peonies #yaysummer
This day never recovered, even after location change. The solution: knocked off early to get fabric. The fabric store never disappoints! #100happydays #100happytaradays

While Jay picked up his comics, I explored our tiny downtown.   I've been meaning to tell you: I downloaded the app Moves, and it's totally changed the way I think about waiting. I take a SHOCKINGLY low number of steps in my tiny home or working at coffee
Still obsessed with #peonies. #yaysummer

Embroidery done by my great-grandma, hanging in my mom's studio. Grandma knew how to put a bird on it.   (Also used in Mom's logo: bluebirdlegacy on Etsy).

I am so grateful for…

  • A lovely weekend with my family, exploring Nashville
  • The Moves app, it's totally changing my days
  • Clarity of purpose. Is there anything better than knowing that you're doing what you should be doing?
  • The patience of Jay, Mom, and my friends while I freak out over what I'll wear (and how I'll do my hair) for my CreativeLIVE class. It's so obviously the least important aspect, and yet the one I talk about the most often.

 

The Finds:

I’m reading:

I’m eating:
(I share my favorite meals as they happen, on Instagram. Since there's always at least one person who wants the recipe…here they are!)

In case you missed it: 

  • I had a great conversation with Mei, of Tiny Hands, about how she got her work on a popular TV show (and in many magazines and blogs!)
  • Next week I'm sharing a much-requested (free!) mini-course on How to Say No. Get the whole thing in a handy PDF (with worksheets!) here.

What adventures have you had?

 

PS. The beautiful embroidery of birds, above, was made by my great-grandma. You can see the whole thing in the header of my mom's shop here. (Did you know you can get wool from her sheep?)

Fiber Friday – Sheepies

Maddie, straight on

Maddie (seen above) is a bit miffed that I haven't blogged much about her life.

She wants you to know that she was shorn months ago and I just got around to carding her fiber. Simply unacceptable! She was happy to learn the Xiane took the majority of her fleece (she can't bear to think of it unused!) but chided me on my own slacker-y-ness.

Shera, munching

Shera, who donated her very first fleece to my fiber-y pursuits is slightly more relaxed about it, but she would like you to know that I'll be selling some of her dyed locks (so curly!) and a few batts carded from her fleece.

Shera, wanting grain

The fiber will be in the Boutique tomorrow (Saturday, 11/14) at noon (EST).

The sheep hope you like it!

Sheep! My Sheep!

Friday afternoon, I went with my mom to pick up our first sheep from Hobby Knob Farm.

Sheep are NOT into leashes

Since we don't have a trailer, we used my mom's minivan to bring them home.
Sheep in Minivan, Pt 2
This is no easy task, as sheep don't understand the whole “hop in” concept.

Sheep in Minivan, Pt 3
(if these pictures are shaky, it's because I am laughing SO hard)

Once in the van, they calmed right down and gave one look back to their former farm.
One last look back

I was intimately involved in getting them OUT of the van, so there aren't any pictures of that. (Imagine me holding onto the leash, trying to talk the sheep into jumping down).

Once they were out and into the yard, the youngest one (we haven't decided on a name yet – I call her Shera (Princess of Power) and the brothers call her Baby) started munching:
Shera (I think)

The older one, formerly named Itsy Bitsy, is decidedly UN-itsy. My 8 year old brother promptly renamed her Fatty Maddy.

Giving me the eye

At her age, she deserves more respect, her official name is Madeleine.

Shera/Baby is still a lamb (born this spring) and is 3/4 Cotswold, 1/4 Border Leceister with a super curly fleece. Maddy is 4 years old, always twins and is a Shetland/Romney cross.  Her fleece is the first I ever worked with (last fall!) and it is just lovely and fine and squooshy.

The girls were sheared (shorn?) last week and I'm going to get started on their fleeces this week. If you want some of their fiber, let me know in the comments!

The ladies will be living at my mom's house, a short drive my place. I go over there a few times of week to babysit my little brothers, so I'll be taking care of them a few times a week. I just came in from wrangling them, right before writing this!

If you'd like to weigh in on the Shera/Baby debate, let me know in the comments! What do YOU think we should call her?